-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Members of Iowa Centrals’ Encore Singers show choir rehearse on the lawn outside the music department on Thursday. The ensemble is preparing for a concert at the Karl King Band Shell at Oleson Park on Sept. 17.

The Karl King Bandshell at Oleson Park will soon be alive with ”The Sound of Music” — as well as other stage favorites, courtesy of the Iowa Central Community College Music Department.

The ”Broadway and Beyond” concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The concert will feature all of the student ensembles at Iowa Central, both vocal and instrumental. It will be the premier of a new vocal ensemble called the Pop Singers, ICCC Director of Vocal Music Will Lopes said.

The concert will be a collection of favorite Broadway tunes from musicals like ”The Sound of Music,” ”Rent,” ”Hamilton” and more. Scores from movies and TV shows will also be performed, Lopes said.

This concert will have something for everyone to enjoy, Lopes said.

”It is a family-friendly concert, we are inviting families to come,” he said.

Concertgoers will have the opportunity to experience the concert in two ways.

”They can come and bring their lawn chairs and spread out so we’ll have social distancing,” Lopes said.

Or they can park in their vehicles near the bandshell and tune into Iowa Central’s student radio station 88.1 FM, which will broadcast the concert.

”It’s almost like a drive-in theater experience, but with live music,” Lopes said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be any on-site restroom facilities.

Lopes said there’s a lot of excitement” buzzing around the concert.

‘The ensembles have been working really, really hard preparing for it,” he said.

The concert is free and open to the public. Social distancing and masks will be encouraged, but not required.

Lopes said this concert will be a perfect performance to start the year with the bands and choirs.

”We are hoping the weather will be nice — it won’t be too cold, it won’t be too dark,” he said. ”We hope they can just have fun and spend time with their family, maybe do a picnic.”