Students perform the “Hallelujah” Chorus from George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” for the Music Celebration Concert in the Mershon Auditorium in December 2014. Credit: Courtesy of Nick Fancher.

After hopping in her car and turning on the radio, Alex Goad was caught pleasantly off guard when the station announced its next song — one with which she was very familiar. 

“It was just a really nice surprise because it’s not something you expect,” Goad, a fourth-year in flute performance, said.

Goad is part of Ohio State’s Flute Troupe, whose cover of Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” aired Sunday on WOSU Public Media’s Classical 101 FM station. The recording was part of the radio series “Concerts at Ohio State,” a collaboration between the School of Music and WOSU that features performances from students and faculty of the school. 

The collaboration got its start when Christopher Purdy, broadcast manager and on-air host of WOSU, approached Don Gibson, then-School of Music director, with an idea: get the Ohio State School of Music’s performances on the radio. Gibson was director from 1992 to 2004, according to previous Lantern reporting.

“I wanted musicians on the Ohio State campus studying in the School of Music to feel as if they had a broadcast home,” Purdy said. “It just made sense that we had a regular series featuring concerts given on campus.”  

Today, the series is still going strong. This year’s show premiered Sunday and will continue every Sunday at 1 p.m. through early March, Purdy said. 

“Everybody drives down High Street, and they drive through campus, and 95 percent of the people who do that every day really have no idea what goes on on campus,” Purdy said. “I thought it would be great for the musicians to have a chance to take a bow and be heard.” 

The series has grown to be anticipated by many Classical 101 listeners, Tamara Morris, the School of Music’s public relations and communications coordinator, said. She said Columbus, Ohio, natives reach out via email or social media asking about the series and what will be included. 

“It has become sort of a staple,” Morris said. “It’s something fresh — it’s our own students. When you know that you’re hearing the new, up-and-coming generation of musicians making music at this high level, that’s just really exciting.” 

Morris said the relationship between WOSU and the School of Music is valuable. She said WOSU’s consistent interest in what is happening at the school helps buoy its work. 

“All of their programming is a wonderful extension of the education of anyone who’s majoring in music,” Morris said. 

The school’s current director, William Ballenger, also sits on the WOSU Board of Directors. He said in an email that he is thrilled when the two groups can partner in any way, and this concert series is no exception. 

“It represents a truly wonderful opportunity to share with the WOSU listening community the outstanding quality of performance that is produced by faculty and students here in the OSU School of Music,” Ballenger said. 

“Concerts at Ohio State” will play at 1 p.m. every Sunday on the WOSU Public Media’s Classical 101 FM station.