Paul Popiel, Lawrence City Band co-conductor and dean of the KU School of Music, will soon take his talents to Notre Dame — but not before conducting one final performance in South Park on Wednesday.
Popiel’s last City Band performance will also be the band’s final concert of the summer, with the theme of “Across the Pond and Back Again.”
It’s set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 at South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be relocated to Murphy Hall Room 130, 1530 Naismith Drive.
Popiel has served as dean of the School of Music since 2023. He began his role as a professor of music and director of bands in 2010.
“I have had the privilege of conducting the Lawrence City Band for about a decade, and it has been one of the great joys of my summers in Lawrence,” Popiel said. “The ensemble represents the very best of community music-making, bringing together musicians of different ages, backgrounds and experiences to serve the Lawrence community through live performance.”
Popiel will return to his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame in Holy Cross, Indiana, to serve as the Kenn and Pamela Ricci Director of Bands.
He will oversee the band program, which includes the Band of the Fighting Irish, plus athletic, concert and jazz bands. Notre Dame has one of the oldest university bands and will perform their 181st season this year.
“Lawrence has been a remarkable place to live, teach and make music, and I will always be grateful for the people and community that made these years so meaningful,” Popiel said. “Looking ahead to Notre Dame, I look forward to working with talented students, further developing a comprehensive and innovative band program and contributing to the university’s mission through music.”
The KU School of Music will begin the search for a new dean later this year, according to spokesperson Fally Afani. Christopher Johnson will serve as interim dean during the search.
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Maya Smith (she/her), reporting intern, has worked with The Lawrence Times since February 2026. She was born and raised in Lawrence and is a journalism student at the University of Kansas. She works at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications as a communications assistant and has been a freelance reporter for the Kansas Reflector since 2024. Read her work for the Times at this link.
Note: This post has been corrected from a previous version.
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