When spring arrives, the young and young-at-heart turn their attentions to the pursuit of romance. No one seems to know this better than the Iowa State vocal music department, which will be presenting a concert for lovers this weekend.

Sunday, the Recital Hall of the Music Building will play host to the tender strains of love songs in different styles.

“Usually our audiences are made up of faculty members and relatives and friends of the group. This concert is trying to appeal to others who are the same age as the performers and that would be other students,” said Robert Molison, director of vocal music.

“Our music is really everything from classical, to Broadway and contemporary works on the subject of love. It’s a spring bouquet with lots of different flowers, musically speaking.”

Like the rest of the world, the choirs are eagerly anticipating the full-fledged arrival of spring. “We’ll all be happy when spring gets here, so we’re here to help it along,” Molison said.

In keeping with the romantic thoughts of the season, each of the four groups will be performing a variety of romantic tunes from various composers and eras.

The first group scheduled to perform is the Men’s Glee Club, under the direction of John Kelly and accompanied by pianist Jamie Harding. The group will be performing several arrangements of fairly well-known selections, including Kelly’s arrangement of Victor Young’s “When I Fall Love,” Roger Emerson’s arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things,” Clair McElfresh’s arrangement of Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Seger’s “Come In from the Rain” and William Stickles arrangement of Frank Loesser’s “Stand on the Corner (The Most Happy Fella).”

The group will also sing Jimmy Leyden’s rendition of George Shearing’s “Lullaby of Birdland,” which will feature additional accompianiament by Jeremy Pfeffer on the string bass, and “Tenderly My Love, I’ll Come to Thee,” by Stephen Hodge.

The second group scheduled to perform is the Oratorio Choir, which is directed by Molison and accompanied by Geoff Wilcken. Like the other groups, they will be performing several pieces featuring additional accompaniment.

The group will be joined by flute players Mindy Radke and Julie Anderson on George Frederick Handel’s “May No Rash Intruder (Solomon),” and by pianist Tricia Mullins on “Four Lieberslider Walzer” by Johannes Brahms, before performing Stickles’s interpretation of Richard Rogers’ “Younger Than Springtime.”

The group will also divide by gender to feature the women on “O, Pastore, Addio!” by Umberto Giordano and the men on Stickles’s arrangement of Jerome Kern’s “All the Things You Are.”

The third group to perform will be the University Chorus under Molison and Sylvia Munson. They will perform “O Occhi Manza Mia (Oh Eyes of My Beloved)” by Orlando di Lasso, “Blow the Candles Out,” arranged by Gregg Smith, and “The Argument,” a piece by Francis J. Nesta, accompanied by Stacie Krausman.

The concert will conclude with the Iowa State Singers, under the director Molison and accompanied by Wilcken. This group will feature folk songs from different cultures, including “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” by Stuart Churchill, “He’s Gone Away” by Ron Nelson and “Now April is Come” by Shaw-Parker.

The group will be performing several pieces featuring soloists and student directors, including alto Jennifer Phillips “My Lagan Love” by James Erb, soloist Eric Johnson and student director Chris Johnson on Shaw-Parker’s “L’amour de Moi,” and Michelle Thayer on piano in “Whistle and I’ll Come to Ye” with piano by Mack Wilberg. They will also present “Gott B’hte Dich” by Leonard Lechner and Wilcken’s arrangement of Cole Porter’s “In the Still of the Night.”

The concert is free and open to the public. It starts at 3 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Music Building.