Paul Stapel’s home town is Muskegon, Michigan, graduating H.S. in 1958. He started singing in church and school choirs about 7, piano at 8, organ at 13 and played regularly for several churches before he began at the University of Michigan 1958-59.
He joined the US Army in October, 1959, specifically to play the string bass in it’s Germany-based 7th Army Symphony Orchestra. Composed of drafted graduates from top Music Schools, they performed HIGHLY – rated concerts for German and other European audiences from the early 1950’s until it was disbanded in 1961, after which he became the Music Director or organist for two Military chapels.
Returning to the US in 1962, he started Community College, picked up an organist job, then connected with the late Scott Wheeler, Michigan service rep for the KILGEN Organ company and began to learn the intricate work of maintaining pipe organs. But it was not full time employment. Knocking doors at the Muskegon Airport, found him being interviewed and then hired by United Air Lines. He became a station agent, helping operate the U.A.L. terminal customer counter, freight operations and reservations center. He also started pilot training but did not get the final license. He retired from United and returned to the University of Michigan School of Music in 1965 , graduating in 1969, originally intending to become a high school orchestra director.
Thanks to a Ford Foundation Grant received just before graduation, he became one of their last interns in symphony orchestra management. A University degree in arts management was not usually available at that time. The internship led to assistant and manager positions with the Cincinnati, New Orleans, Wichita, Toledo, Dallas and the Binghamton Symphonies from 1969 thru 1987, other than the 1981-1982 period where he delved into entrepreneur-ship as the creator of a successful ‘down-home-gourmet–classical music’ restaurant in the resort village of Saugatuck, Michigan. That business was doing well until it’s destruction due to an unknown arsonist which took it out along with the Baldwin Concert Grand piano that had served as the chief entertainment tool for the Restaurant.
In the fall of 1982 the Binghamton Symphony called, thanks to 7th Army Symphony Orchestra friend John Covelli who h ad just started as Music Director. The Board interviewed and hired him as manager for 4 exciting years of development. In 1986 differences of Board/Management style separated the otherwise pleasant partnership .
Between 1986 and 1993 Paul became a licensed real estate sales-person, the manager of the Larkin Music Store, in downtown Binghamton and then added the Independent Contracted Sales Director position for an Up- State Sales Director of WICKS. The Music store was owner-closed in 1993.
Stapel’s Wicks Sales director position responsibilities grew to cover all of upstate New York, working with Schools, Churches and individuals needing a pipe organ companies services.
Paul is a substitute organist, pianist and beginning piano teacher. He’s heavily involved with the local Theater Organ world as a founder and Board Member of the Binghamton Theater Organ Society. He is also a member of the Binghamton Chapters of the American Guild of Organists and the American Theater Organ Society.
