The show will lampoon what is usually a stern form of performance by including inside jokes about classical staples like Bach, Prokofiev and the Three Tenors.
Daryl Durran, associate professor of music and another of the performers, said students don't have to be trained musicians to appreciate the humor.
In fact, the performers are expecting a very diverse crowd for the show, Hurtz said.
"It should grab an audience that wouldn't otherwise come," he said. For students who have never been to a classical performance before, the April Fools' Day show will be a chance to see the lighter side of the art.
"It will be good for everyone to come, particularly those who think classical music is all serious," said Durran, who will be a part of an all-bassoon rendition of Peter and the Wolf. "We're actually pretty funny. Come and find classical music has a lot of interesting aspects to it."
Professor Sue Haug echoed Durran's sentiment.
"A lot of classical music is actually intended to be funny," she said.
Haug also said it won't be only the audience who has a good time.
"The hard part for us performers is not laughing while we're playing," she said. "The first time I played [my piece], I laughed so hard I cried."
One of the more unconventional acts of the night comes from John McNulty, a member of the technical support staff for School of Music.
"When you think of the School of Music, you usually think of classical or jazz. But since it's April Fools' Day, they're looking for something out of the ordinary, and out of the ordinary is my specialty," McNulty said.
McNulty's "performance" will be in the form of five robots he built from re-wired kids' toys. The characters -- all of whom have different variations of McNulty's own voice -- will sing, dance and even bicker "just like a real band," McNulty said.
When McNulty began his music career, he set out to be a one-man band, using a tape recorder to play his backing tracks. He called himself Skaterman and the Box of Death. When it was pointed out that this so-called Box of Death was little more than an audiocassette, he added a plywood jack-o-lantern to his act, complete with flickering lights. From then, he slowly added more elaborate characters, and the most current rendition of Skaterman and the Box of Death will be shown at the April Fools' Concert.
"April Fools' Day is a good day to shake things up and see something you wouldn't normally see at Esber Recital Hall," McNulty said.
Durran said that as unique as the show may seem, it's "a relatively common thing across university music schools."
With that in mind, Haug said it would be an entertaining change of pace.
"It's a chance to see students and faculty in a different role," she said.
Hurtz said he is looking forward to the April 1 concert.
"It will be fun seeing the familiar faces of the music faculty and students. Making fun of classical music is what it's all about," he said.
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