Do you want some music with your lunch?

Students at Ohio University Southern have had the pleasure of free music from noon to 1 p.m. for the past 16 years.

Called the Brown Bag Concert Series because it takes place during students’ lunchtime, the idea belongs to Gayle Thornton who started the program in 1998. Dr. Nina Queen took over the organizational duties a few years ago.

“The idea of this program is to expose people to different types of music,” Queen said. “It takes place between classes and students, faculty, staff and members of the community stop in and enjoy the music.”

The series is every Wednesday until Oct. 16 in the Riffe Center Mains Rotunda and on Wednesday the Celtic sounds of Kelley’s Bridge Band could be heard throughout the building.

“The people we have here are very talented,” Queen said. “We are so lucky to have so many talented musicians in our area.”

Everything is on a volunteer basis, according to Queen, with students helping set up the stage and equipment and musicians playing for free. Performers contact Queen or she contacts them to create the lineup.

Next week, Sept. 18, the series will showcase Songbird, who has performed in the series at least once over the past three years.

Carla Brown, of Ashland, is Songbird’s lead singer and she is very appreciative of the opportunity to perform. Phil Osborne will play guitar and join her onstage next week, as well as Pinky Pinkerton on drums and Nevada Hart on bass.

“We have been recording together,” Brown said. “We are making a CD of Christian music, but next week we are playing classic rock.”