WARREN — The W.D. Packard Concert Band has a purr-fect afternoon planned this Sunday at Packard Music Hall.

“March Me-Ow” is the theme for the concert with a full program of kitty compositions … and a litter of Youngs helping to make the music.

Thomas A. Groth, executive director of the band, got the idea when he discovered Gioacchino Rossini’s “Duetto Buffo di due Gatti,” which translates to “comic duet for two cats.”

“I’d never heard of it before, and anyone I asked had never heard it either,” Groth said. “It’s a catfight between two vocalists, and the only words in it are `meow.’ A lot of opera singers use it as an encore. It just grew from there.”

Performing the Rossini piece will be baritone K. Michael Young, a Cortland native now living in Cincinnati, and his wife, soprano Jackie Stevens.

Young also will sing Aaron Copland’s “I Bought Me a Cat,” which will be conducted by his father, Ken Young, retired director of bands at Lakeview High School and a former director of bands at Hiram College and an adjunct faculty member at Dana School of Music. Stevens also will sing “Memory” from the musical “Cats.”

The W.D. Packard Concert Band features Michael Young’s sister, piccolo player Heather Mandujano, and her husband, flutist Eduardo Mandujano, which means there will be five members of the Young family on stage.

“That’s the most we’ve ever had from one family,” Groth said. “The previous high was three family members.”

Robert Antonucci, who is in his 29th year teaching in Lowellville, will be the tuba soloist on Harry DeCosta’s “Tuba Tiger Rag.” Additional songs inspired by bigger “cats” include music from “The Lion King” and Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther.”

Other selections will include Toshio Sakamoto’s “Blues for a Cat Called Misty,” Cody Myre’s “Bring Forth! The Feline Brigade,” ” Mel B. Kaufman’s “ME-OW” and Leroy Anderson’s “The Waltzing Cat.”

Frank Tracz, a frequent guest conductor with the Packard band and director of bands at Kansas State University, will lead most of the program, including the finale of John Philip Sousa’s “Kansas Wildcats March.”

While there are plenty of famous composers and talented musicians on the program, the lineup includes some surprising offerings as well.

The band will accompany a video of the ivory-tickling tabby Nora the Cat with original music composed by Jerry Ascione, a Dana School of Music graduate who has been commissioned to write several pieces for the band.

“He figured out what the cat was playing and wrote a band accompaniment for it,” Groth said.

Pianist James Garber will provide the music for a narration by Catena Shortreed, who serves on the board of directors for the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County. She will recite the lyrics to “Smelly Cat,” the song performed by Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) on the sitcom “Friends” and other cat-inspired poetry.

Julie Giroux’s ” Your Cast Aways” was programmed because it speaks to the work of the Animal Welfare League.

“It was written in tribute to the animals that are left out there or don’t make it to a shelter, and we’ll be showing a collage of photos sent to the composer while she was composing it,” Groth said.

The event will be used to kick off a fundraiser for the Animal Welfare League. Cat-themed art was commissioned by the AWL from artists Rick Muccio of Niles, Corki Swanson of New York and Martha Young of Cortland, making her the sixth Young who will be a part of the concert.

AWL will be selling raffle tickets in the lobby for a chance to win one of the pieces, and the organization will have information available about its mission and maybe a couple of feline helpers.

The winners will be selected at the band’s 4th of July concert.

If you go …

WHAT: “March Me-Ow” – W.D. Packard Concert Band with Frank Tracz, guest conductor; Robert Antonucci, tuba; Catena Shortreed, narrator; Ken Young, guest conductor; K. Michael Young, baritone; Jackie Stevens, soprano; and Thomas A. Groth, concert moderator

WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren

HOW MUCH: Admission is free, and funding is provided by the W.D. Packard trust.