The summer concert hosted by Iowa State Alumni in remembrance of Joey Wilgenbusch will perform for its third year Sunday, July 6. 

Held at the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in Music Hall, the concert will feature solo performances, arias, whole group songs, musical theater, and operas. All of the performers are graduates of ISU and now sing or teach professionally throughout the United States and Europe. 

The alumni concert began in 2012 when a year ago in 2011 Joey Wilgenbusch, also an ISU alumnus, died suddenly from a heart condition he’d had since birth.

“Joey was a freelance music theater singer in New York and lived life as a traveling performer and singer,” said Catherine Compton, one of the organizers and singers of the concert. 

“He was just really always proud to be an Iowan and to have gotten his start in singing at Iowa State….I think it’s kind of the dream of being a musician is always kind of illusive to people and he just had a really great perspective about having music be his career and a part of his life.”

After his death Compton helped to organize the concert. The concert not only serves as a remembrance of Joey’s life, but donations made at the free concert go towards a memorial scholarship for vocal majors at ISU.

Since the first concert the scholarship has reached endowment status. Now that it is fully endowed the scholarship will last forever. The proceeds from the free concert go towards further growing the Joey Wilgenbusch scholarship. 

“We are honored to have this event in our building,” said Michael Golemo, music and theater professor at Iowa State. 

The concert starts at 2 p.m. in the Martha-Ellen Tye Hall in Music Hall on ISU’s campus on Sunday, July 6. The event is free, but free will contributions will be accepted and are tax deductible.