PENDLETON — The Oregon East Symphony will kick off its 2020-21 season by presenting its first ever drive-in concert — “Let ‘Er Bach!” — on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the Pendleton Convention Center parking lot, 1601 Westgate.

This unique and free-to-attend production will feature a masked and socially distanced 13-member chamber orchestra performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.” Concert attendees will enjoy the music from the comfort and safety of their own vehicles by listening to the concert over an FM radio transmission.

For those unable to attend in person, the concert will also be simultaneously available as a livestream on the symphony’s YouTube channel — YouTube.com/c/OregonEastSymphony — and broadcast over the airwaves of 104.3 KCUW, the community radio station of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Since all audio will be broadcast over an FM signal, attendees should ensure they have a working FM radio in their vehicle or bring a portable FM radio.

“Let ‘Er Bach!” will be produced in partnership with the Pendleton Parks and Recreation Department and Elkhorn Media Group. The Parks and Recreation Department will be providing a screen and projector for maximum visibility and selling concessions. Elkhorn Media Group is providing a generous in-kind sponsorship of advertising across its radio stations in Umatilla County and social media accounts to help spread the word about the event.

According to Oregon East Symphony Executive Director J.D. Kindle, “Obviously these are unprecedented times for everyone, including the Oregon East Symphony, and we are placed in the position of finding innovative and unorthodox avenues to meet our organization’s mission. To that end this has been an exciting concert production to work on and it has opened up unforeseen opportunities in the way of how we engage with the community we serve. If the concert is well received, perhaps we could make this an annual event.

“The remainder of what our 2020-2021 season looks like is still up in the air. Circumstances shift so rapidly that we have to be nimble in our approach to concert programming. Presently, we are expecting that our annual Holiday Music Festival and Chamber Music Festival concerts will be presented in a virtual format this year while all three major symphonic concerts that are conducted by our artistic director Beau Benson will be condensed into a weeklong festival next summer — granted large gatherings are safe by then.”

To ensure everyone’s safety and to adhere to Oregon Health Authority guidelines, capacity will be limited to 250 individuals and contact information of all attendees (first and last names, phone and address) must be collected for contact tracing purposes. Preregistration is highly recommended in order to expedite attendees’ check-in process and ensure a reserved spot.

Attendees may preregister online at OregonEastSymphony.org or by calling the symphony office at 541-276-0320.