Green grass, a summer breeze and a cool ice cream sundae make for a pretty enjoyable evening.

Add the talents of a live symphony orchestra playing tunes such as the theme from “Titanic,” “The 1812 Overture,” “The Star Spangled Banner” and the Iowa State fight song, and the result is an event not to be missed.

ISU’s academic year will commence with a celebration titled, “A Concert on the Green.”

Under the baton of Music Director Christian Tiemeyer, the 70-member Cedar Rapids Symphony will give a free pop concert to ISU students tonight at 7 p.m. on central campus.

Although kick-off concerts in the past have been performed by the Des Moines Symphony, sponsors of the event — the Government of the Student Body, the F. Wendell Miller Endowment and President Martin Jischke, decided to give Cedar Rapids an opportunity to perform.

“We want to take advantage of all the orchestras around our area,” Jischke said.

Most of the music planned for this evening’s concert are tunes that are familiar to most audiences. According to Dr. Elizabeth Sadilek, ISU flute professor and second chair flutist for the symphony, tonight’s concert set is the same one the orchestra performed for the Freedom Festival on the Fourth of July.

Sadilek said the orchestra received a particularly favorable response after performances of the “Titanic” theme and “The Orange Blossom Special,” which includes solos from violinist, Takuya Horiuchi.

“I think people really like [‘The Orange Blossom Special’] a lot. They hook [Horiuchi’s] violin up to a microphone. It’s a blast,” Horiuchi said.

According to Sadilek, the nature of the pop concerts is purposeful. With a program that includes many pieces that probably wouldn’t be heard in the symphony concert hall, Sadilek said the orchestra is looking to draw people who wouldn’t normally choose to attend the symphony.

“We’re hoping to get people who would never think to go to a concert hall,” Sadilek said. “We want them to realize that symphonies can be fun.”

Before the music begins, free samples of a new Anderson-Erickson ice cream flavor called Cyclone Tailgate Sundae will be available to all concertgoers.

With the promise of great music and free ice cream, Jischke is hoping for a large turnout.

“I hope lots of students come, as well as faculty and staff and people from the community,” Jischke said. “It’s a way to get the semester off to a good start and a chance for students to visit with people they haven’t seen for a while. I’m hoping we have a very big crowd.”

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held at Stephens Auditorium.