Anyone who played music in high school but decided to major in something else in college can definitely appreciate the appeal of an ensemble such as Michigan Pops.

“We provide an opportunity for non-music majors to play on campus,” explained Laura Chanoux, executive director and trumpeter for the University of Michigan student group.

The group’s 100 members are all U-M students; some are music majors, but most are not. Michigan Pops will offer its fall concert Sunday at the Michigan Theater.

“It’s a good alternative to what’s traditionally seen as a classical orchestra … a lot of people are just doing this for the musical experience. It’s a way to expand your love of music during college,” added Jenn Wei, an Ann Arbor native who plays violin and also handles publicity for the group.

Neither Wei nor Chanoux are music majors; however, conductor Yaniv Segal is working toward a doctor of musical arts degree in orchestral conducting at the U-M School of Music Theater and Dance.

“For those in the orchestra, it is the opportunity to connect with students from other disciplines and class years whom they might not have otherwise met, but who share a common interest in music,” Segal explained.

Sunday’s concert “is about travelling around the world in search of something, and features music from or about Europe, Africa, Asia, and South and Central Americas,” he added.

“Some of my favorite pieces on the program are Wagner's Overture to "The Flying Dutchman" (Germany), Moncayo's "Huapango" (Mexico) and Rimsky-Korsakov's Procession of the Nobles from "Mlada" (Russia). I'm also very excited to say that we are performing a piece by one of the U-M School of Music Theater and Dance faculty, Professor Bright Sheng, his Fanfare from "China Dreams.”

“It’s very challenging piece but also very much worth it,” Segal said of Sheng’s piece. “The rhythms and sonorities that he uses are unlike anything else we're performing, and I think it is a very neat experience for the orchestra to be able to play something by a living and local composer.”

Also on the bill will be "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," from “Evita,” sung by U-M theater student Rachel Bahler. A drumming ensemble will be on hand to perform a samba, while music from Disney's "Mulan" and "Lion King," and John Williams' score to "Memoirs of Geisha" help round out the concert.

A social component is also part of being a Michigan Pops member. “My freshman year it was a great opportunity to meet new people and form a social base on campus,” Wei added.

While the social aspect of the ensemble is a plus, the bottom line is the music, Segal said.

“The orchestra provides a platform for creativity and expression that is very fulfilling, and since we play such different pieces, it also exposes the musicians to different music than they're used to,” he said.

“This broadening of musical horizons is also why I think the Pops is so valuable for the audience and community. By performing a Lady Gaga song next to a movement from Mahler, for example, someone may come to the concert expecting one thing and then be enlightened and enriched by the wealth of music, sound, passion and expression possible from a symphony orchestra. They may not only be entertained by the fun music, skits and gags we do as part of the show, but I hope that they are also inspired and moved by the beauty and power of music.”

The group, which offers two concerts a year, was founded in 1995 by Warren Hsu, a U-M student who was committed to enhancing musical diversity across campus. It is the oldest student-run, student-directed collegiate pops orchestra in the United States, and is managed by an executive board of 13 students.

In addition to the full orchestra, Pops instated a Small Ensembles program in 2002, placing students in smaller chamber groups. In 2007, the Michigan Pops String Orchestra, a smaller, self-conducted chamber orchestra of 30 students, was established.

“We try to provide as many opportunities as possible,” Chanoux added.

Roger LeLievre is a freelance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.