At 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16 at College Mennonite Church, the Theory Expats, a band formed by three Goshen College students, will perform with Mutual Kumquat, a well-known Brethren band.

The Theory Expats features Sadie Gustafson-Zook, a sophomore, on vocals, ukulele, guitar, kazoo and banjo; Andrew Pauls, a sophomore, on vocals, guitar and banjo; and Ethan Setiawan, an early enrollment program student, on mandolin.

Gustafson-Zook has been performing with her family since 2000. Now, she’s double majoring in music and communications. Pauls is currently undecided, but is extremely active in the Goshen College music department. Setiawan has been playing the mandolin since he was 13, and recently won the 2014 National Mandolin Championship.

After the three members discovered each other in the same music theory class, they decided to form a band.

The name “Theory Expats” is a play on the term “expatriates,” or people who live outside their native country. Once they finished music theory, the three were no longer “from the land of music theory,” thus they were theory expatriates.

“We were all in music theory together, and now we’re expatriated from that,” Setiawan said.

Even though the Theory Expats are an emerging band, they have had no problem getting gigs.

“I’ve performed around the area with my family, and Ethan’s performed around by himself quite a bit, so we knew people who either asked us individually, or we knew where to go to book shows,” Gustafson-Zook said.

So far, the band has performed at multiple fall fests, the relief sale and at other events or fundraisers.

That’s what makes the Nov. 16 show so unique: it’s the first time the band will play a show that’s focused completely on music.

The Theory Expats will be opening for Mutual Kumquat, which formed in 2000 and is made up mostly of Manchester College graduates. They are notorious for their positive message and diverse sounds. Mutual Kumquat has released five albums, and Setiwan is also a part of this group.

The Nov. 16 concert is free with an optional donation. If you miss this weekend’s concert, the Theory Expats will be performing at The Local, in downtown Goshen, on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. That performance is $5.