Feelings of pride and joy accompanied the most recent home performance of the Iowa Statesmen.

More than 80 male students dressed in black tuxedos performed a number of vocal selections for a nearly full house Saturday evening. The audience at the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall was engaged and receptive as rich vocal harmonies soared through the room. The singers held a professional air throughout the concert, but were able to lighten up the mood on a few selections.

“I thought they looked like they were having fun up there, and I think it’s important for the audience to see that,” says Anne Shelley, library assistant.

James Rodde, the group’s conductor, says he was proud of the group, adding that he believes they keep improving. Rodde says he sees the men not only as vocalists capable of reaching a certain level of quality, but also as great ambassadors for Iowa State.

“I think that there’s a real good spirit that the guys put forth,” he said.

He said he believes that people observe the world to see what the future may hold and that seeing the spirit in this group of men gives the audience a feeling of hope. He also said that he believes interest in the group has grown greatly over the less than five years it has existed.

Brandon Crist, Statesmen member and senior in electrical engineering, says he thought the concert went well and the audience enjoyed it.

“This is more music than we’ve ever done, so it was a challenge, but I think we did all right,” he says.

Crist sang a variety of solo lines throughout the concert, including the verses on an a capella version of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son.”

“I don’t really get nervous for them,” he says. “I just sing. I don’t really even think about it.”

John Feekes, Statesmen member and sophomore in pre-business, says the members have been performing for such a long time that they tend to not get so nervous when singing on stage.

Feekes and Crist are also members of the student-run a capella group, Shy of a Dozen, that performed four selections at the midpoint of the concert. This group selects its own music, and members arrange some of it themselves. The selections, including the Kansas cover, were all a capella arrangements of popular songs.

Feekes says this is because the group tries to cater more to a college audience, who tend to relate more to this type of music than to more traditional vocal pieces.

Feekes and Crist agree this part of the performance seems to be a little more relaxed for them.

“You know everyone’s eyes are on you so it’s a little more pressure,” Crist says. “You just don’t think about it.”