Students will have a good chance at hearing great music this year, thanks to the Iowa State Singers.

The musical group has a packed schedule that includes concerts, tours and production of a CD.

“We’re doing a lot of things,” said Chris Johnson, the organization’s president. “We have a bunch of concerts scheduled in the near future.”

First up for the singers is a dedication concert for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center Oct. 4. Johnson said his group is also performing a “Collage of Choirs” on Oct. 8, a concert with ISU’s symphony and oratorical choir on Oct. 22 at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium and a “Holiday Festival of Music” on Dec. 2.

Johnson said the singers plan to use the CD as a promotion.

“The CD is actually a fund-raising tool for future tours,” he said.

Johnson said an “I-80 Tour,” is scheduled for the spring of 1996 and will be used as a recruiting tool throughout the state. The second tour, a “Foreign Soil Tour,” is scheduled for the spring of 1997 and may take the Iowa State Singers to Australia.

Johnson said his organization is attempting to raise over $150,000 for future tours. “That’s a big chunk of money,” he said. “Some say it’s impossible.”

The CD’s content will include pieces from the Iowa State Singer concerts this year.

“All the concerts we have this year will be recorded for the CD,” Johnson said.

Robert Molison, ISU’s director of choral activities, said the CD will be put together gradually.

“It will probably go on sale sometime in the spring,” he said. “Release depends on whether we can get the right sessions.”

Molison said his groups have produced cassettes in the past but are now turning high-tech.

“We came out with a cassette in 1989 and usually come out with one every five or six years,” he said. “We’ve made a technological change. We feel the CD is the best way to distribute the music.”

Molison said the CD, which will feature the Iowa State Singers primarily, will be produced by ISU’s Choral Music Department.

“We may include other Iowa State musical groups, like we’ve done in the past,” he said.

Molison said cost is not an issue just yet, but the CD’s price will be competitive.

“I think it’s another way for musical groups to become more a part of life at Iowa State,” Johnson said of the CD. “We would appreciate support from students.”