Iowa Brass

05/31/2026

🎺🌭 𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎! 🌭🎺

The countdown is on for the 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥, 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, in beautiful Amana, Iowa!

As hosts of this incredible event, 𝐈𝐨𝐰𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 is excited to welcome more than 300 brass musicians representing 9 outstanding brass bands from 6 states for a weekend filled with music, food, friendship, and fun.

Whether you're a lifelong brass band fan or simply looking for a unique summer weekend adventure, the 𝐖𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 offers something for everyone!

🎵 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟗
🏆 Wurst Friday Brass Band Competition
📍 Festhalle Barn, Millstream Brewing Company & Market Barn
🕕 Competition Performances: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
🍽️ Festhalle Barn Food Service from Ronneburg Restaurant: 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
🍺 Beer Choir in the Festhalle Barn: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM

🎵 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎
📍 Festhalle Barn
🎺 Non-stop British-style brass band performances
🕚 11:00 AM - 7:30 PM

📍 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲
🎶 Small ensembles and brass groups
🕙 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM

🍽️🎥🍺 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑!

🎥 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧!
Can't make it to Amana? Join us online! The Wurst Friday Competition will be streamed live on Friday from 5:45 PM - 7:45 PM, and Saturday's Festhalle Barn performances will be streamed from approximately 10:45 AM through the conclusion of the festival around 7:30 PM on the Iowa Brass YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/

🍽️ We're thrilled to welcome the famous 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 as our official food vendor inside the Festhalle Barn. Enjoy authentic Amana favorites on Saturday from 10:30 AM - 6:00 PM.

🍺 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐫 makes its Wurst Brass Festival debut! Everyone is part of the choir. Grab a beverage, sing along to familiar tunes, and experience one of the fastest-growing music traditions in America. No auditions, no rehearsals, just fun! 🎶🍻

🎺 Over 300 musicians
🎺 Two performance venues
🎺 Brass bands from across the Midwest
🎺 Food, beverages, and family-friendly fun all day long

Admission to the Festhalle Barn is just $7 for an entire day of world-class brass band entertainment.

Bring your friends and come experience one of the most unique musical events in the Midwest!

📅 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
📍 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐈𝐨𝐰𝐚

Who's planning to join us this year?

05/22/2026

This Monday, you have two opportunities to hear Iowa Brass. We’re having a pair of Memorial Day performances featuring patriotic music to honor the spirit of the day. The first will be at the Bandstand in Downtown Solon at 10:30, and the second will be in Village Green Park in West Branch at 2:00. Both are free and open to the public.

05/11/2026

If you're attending, we'd love to see you.

End your Thursday night by listening to the Iowa Brass, under the direction of Alex Beamer, at 9:15pm in the Ballroom. It is sure to be an excellent performance!

05/08/2026

We are thrilled to be playing for the Iowa Bandmasters Association 99th Annual Conference on Thursday, May 14 at 9:15 pm. If you're attending, it would be great to see you.

05/04/2026

We had a thrilling concert today featuring our two Young Artist Competition winners. Linus McRoberts, our high school division winner, and Laura Carrico, our collegiate winner, dazzled the audience with solos that showed the virtuosity of these very talented young performers. Each winner was presented with a $500 check at the end of the concert. We expect to see great things from them in the future.

05/01/2026

Anna Kelly (trumpet) and Kolbe Schnoebelen (trombone) are playing the spicy duet “Fandango” by Joseph Turrin in rehearsal this evening. Catch this, the winners of the 2026 Young Artist Competition, and more this Sunday, May 3 at 4:00 at the Solon Community Center Auditorium at 313 S Iowa Street in Solon. It will be a whirlwind concert you won’t want to miss!

04/17/2026

Our first America 250 concert will be at 402 Sitler Drive in Washington, Iowa this Sunday, April 19 at 3:30! Learn more about the performance at get your tickets below.

This site introduces the new Washington Area Performing Arts and Events Center and gives information about the current professional entertainment series and how to purchase season tickets and online tickets to our events.

04/16/2026

Our winner of the collegiate division for the 2026 Young Artist Competition is Laura Carrico, a sophomore at the University of Iowa, who studies trumpet performance under Michael Gause. She is actively involved in Symphony Band, Trumpet Ensemble, Johnson County Landmark Jazz Band, and the Corridor Brass Quintet.

This past year, Laura performed with the University of Iowa Gold Trumpet Ensemble at the National Trumpet Competition semifinals and participated in the Los Angeles Film Studio Intensive, recording at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage. She plans to pursue a professional performance career, with interest in serving in a military band.

Laura will be featured as a guest soloist with Iowa Brass at the Young Artist Showcase Concert on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. at the Solon Community Center.

04/15/2026

Our winner of the high school division for the 2026 Young Artist Competition is Linus McRoberts, a senior at Iowa City High School, who has earned statewide and national recognition for his playing. He was selected to the Iowa All-State Band in 2023 and 2024 and served as Principal Trombone of the 2025 Iowa All-State Orchestra. In 2026, he was named Principal Trombone of the Honor Band of America.

He has also received Outstanding Soloist honors at the Coe College Jazz Summit, SEIBA Jazz Festival, and the 4A Iowa Jazz Championships. Linus plans to study trombone performance in both classical and jazz at the University of Iowa, with the goal of becoming a professional performer and, ultimately, a professor of trombone.

Linus will be featured as a guest soloist with Iowa Brass at the Young Artist Showcase Concert on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. at the Solon Community Center.

02/06/2026

“Hoe Down” from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Rodeo” is one of those pieces you might not necessarily be able to name but will recognize when you hear it. You can experience this popular work of Americana on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:00 at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids.