This weekend, several ISU band members, as well as band members from various high schools across the state, will have the chance to show off their hard work and talent.

The ISU Honor Band Festival will take place Friday and Saturday at Stephens Auditorium. Friday night’s event will feature performances from the ISU Wind Ensemble with special guest horn soloist Bret Seebeck and this year’s selected high school band, the Ames High School Symphonic Band.

Chris Ewan, director of bands at Ames High School, says he feels the event gives his students an excellent opportunity for advancement.

“It is a great honor for myself as well as the students,” Ewan says. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to take our group out to play at [Stephens]. We couldn’t afford to do Stephens if we put this on by ourselves.”

Ewan says he is also pleased because the location of the event is convenient for both the band students and their parents.

“We have a very strong group of parents,” he says. “They are all very supportive of their sons and daughters.”

Ewan says he thinks the event is a good way to bring the Ames community together.

“It is a divided community,” he says. “That’s not a bad thing, but when you have 25,000 college students, people probably won’t pay as much attention to the high school. It’s a neat way to bring the two groups together.”

Ewan says close to 75 members of the nearly 250-member Ames High Band will be performing at the show. It’s the top-rated group at the school, he says.

“We probably graduate 50 every year, and half end up playing in bands in college,” he says. “Quite a few end up playing at ISU. There are actually a few Ames grads performing in Wind Ensemble.”

Altogether, Ewan says the Ames High school band will be performing four different pieces of music.

Saturday’s concert will also feature three high school honor bands — the White Band, the Gold Band and the Cardinal Band. The White band will feature guest conductor Timothy Reynish, former head of the wind and percussion department at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. The Gold band will be conducted by Al Sergel, Director of Bands at Northwest Missouri State University. Paul Brizzi, Ankeny High School’s director of bands, will conduct the Cardinal Band.

Almost 90 Iowa high schools will be represented in the three different bands.

One Ames High Band student, senior percussionist Jonathan Park, says he will be performing both nights and has had to put in a lot of practice time to learn five different pieces of music.

“I take classes at ISU,” Park says. “I usually practice [in Music Hall] right after my classes are done.”

What: ISU Honor Band Festival

Where: Stephens Auditorium

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday

Cost: $4 students, $5 public