Oklahoma Christian University welcomes Milton Pullen, father of the previous choir director, Kyle Pullen, as the new choir director of both the Chorale and Chamber Singers for the 2023-24 school year.
Milton Pullen has been directing choirs for over 50 years at universities and schools such as Pepperdine, Abilene Christian and Clear Creek High School.
Pullen said his career in choir directing is still not done, even after years of directing.
“I can never imagine not being a choir director, even if I was retired,” Pullen said. “It’s who I am. It’s my identity. I want to go to heaven and be a choir director. To me, it’s an eternal thing. I know I’m eighty at this point, but there’s still so much left to do.”
Although Pullen is new to Oklahoma Christian’s choir program, he said he feels nothing but comfort with the group.
“I feel comfortable with this choir. I don’t feel like a guest, I feel established,” Pullen said. “At the beginning of any job I’ve had, there’s been this point of getting acquainted and getting established. I haven’t felt that way with this choir.”
Pullen said the transition from his son to him has come out of a good situation.
“It’s the first job I’ve ever had where I stepped into a good situation. I came to Oklahoma Christian, and I inherited a great group,” Pullen said. “I feel like the baton has been handed off to me, and we did it in stride. I don’t feel ‘undo’ pressure because my son has been here, and me and him think a whole lot alike.”
Pullen said his hope for the choir is to get more students involved to help carry the future of the chorale program.
“I hope this choir grows in numbers. We have great talent here,” Pullen said. “When you are small in number, it doesn’t give a chorale program the foundation it needs to carry on into the future. There’s been a drop-off we need to fix.”
Sophomore Linsey Christian, who is in both Chorale and Chamber Singers, said she appreciates how passionate for music Pullen is.
“I love how Mr. Pullen has taken us under his wing, especially during the situation the choir and music department are currently in,” Christian said. “I think his passion for music is so inspiring, and he is living proof of music helping to carry you throughout your whole life.”
Christian said her favorite aspect of choir is in how it has brought different students together.
“I love how the choir brings together so many people from different backgrounds. Even though we have a lot of music majors in choir, they don’t make up the whole choir,” Christian said. “It’s really cool to see how music is in everyone’s lives, and how you don’t necessarily need to make a career out of it to enjoy it.”
As for hopes for the future, Christian said she would like to see the choir grow and rebuild.
“I hope our choir is able to stay strong and hold onto its roots from the past,” Christian said. “The Oklahoma Christian choir has a decent reputation, and I would love to see us grow and maintain our reputation by taking our current situation and turning it into something which builds the choir instead of breaking it.”
Senior Jace Dulohery, who has been involved in Chorale and Chamber Singers since his freshman year, said the choir has already made progress on their music in the first two weeks of rehearsals.
“In just the last two weeks, we’ve made really encouraging headway with our music and realized our potential as an ensemble this year,” Dulohery said. “I don’t know if we would’ve done this well so far had he [Mr. Pullen] not been so forthcoming.”
Dulohery said his favorite aspect of the choir experience has been the community it has created.
“What I love most about choir is the community,” Dulohery said. “Our whole is far greater than the sum of our parts — in both music and as people sharing the time and experiences we have together. The music we make is a product of it, and it wouldn’t exist without our camaraderie.”
Dulohery said he has seen the choir improve over the years he has been here, and can’t wait to see it continue to do so.
“My hope for choir in the future is to continue on the path we’ve set so far. We’ve improved substantially each year, as Pullen (former) can attest. I can’t wait to see each member of this ensemble continue to grow and evolve both as individuals in daily life and as musicians.”
The Chorale and Chamber Singers’ first concert will take place on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. in Baugh Auditorium.
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