All-State Music Festival highlighted on Iowa PBS

Iowa PBS will once again bring the musical talents of Iowa’s outstanding high school students to audiences statewide with its production of the 80th annual Iowa All-State Music Festival. The program will air Thursday, November 26 at 7 p.m. on Iowa PBS, with a rebroadcast Friday, November 27 at 1:30 p.m. Viewers can also stream the performance on demand at iowapbs.org.

The festival brings together some of the state’s most accomplished high school musicians for performances with the All-State Band, Chorus and Orchestra. Selected through a competitive audition process involving thousands of students, these young musicians represent schools and communities throughout the state.

The annual Iowa All-State Music Festival takes place November 19-21 at Iowa State University in Ames, culminating with the Finale Concert on Saturday, November 21. Iowa PBS will record the concert for broadcast, giving families, friends, educators and music enthusiasts across Iowa an opportunity to experience this celebration of student achievement and music education.

“The All-State Music Festival is one of my favorite events we cover at Iowa PBS,” said Senior Producer/Director Theresa Knight.” The students who are selected work incredibly hard to earn a place in the ensembles, and we look forward to sharing their music with Iowans every year.”

The Iowa High School Music Association has partnered with Iowa PBS for over 40 years to broadcast the beloved program statewide.

Programming support for 2026 All-State Music Festival is provided by the Estate of Margaret I. Haupt of Cedar Rapids and Musco Lighting.