Iowa State is bringing some of the most talented musicians in the state to campus this weekend, all of whom are still in high school.

Nearly 300 young musicians will be converging on Ames this weekend for the 27th annual Honor Band Weekend.

“These honor bands are groups of promising students from different schools coming together for one performance,” says Michael Golemo, director of bands at ISU and assistant professor of music. “The students will rehearse all day Friday and Saturday morning before their afternoon performance.”

The festivities will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. with a free concert at Stephens Auditorium. The evening’s performers will include the Iowa City High School band and the ISU Wind Ensemble.

“We want the visiting students to have a chance to see how great our band is,” says Elise Benzing, junior in music and ISU Wind Ensemble clarinetist. “We’ll do some flashier numbers since it’s for students, such as a tempered steel piece that has a lot of fancy percussion instruments, loud trumpet parts, and fast, exciting rhythms.”

The events will continue Saturday when the high school students, representing more than 90 schools in Iowa, begin their performance at 3 p.m. at Stephens.

Each student has been divided into one of three bands: white, gold, and cardinal, based on their accomplishment levels, Golemo says.

The bands will be directed by guest conductors John Whitwell, director of bands at Michigan State, Glenn Hayes, director of bands at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater and Alan Greiner, executive director of the Iowa High School Music Association.

The students selected to attend this weekend’s events were chosen based on their years of participation in All-State Band, and were nominated by their respective high school music directors, says Golemo. Members of the gold band must have a minimum of two years’ experience with All-State Band, the white band is for those with one year or less and the cardinal band is for younger students that show musical promise.

“Every year, high school band directors tell us this is the finest honor band in the entire state,” Golemo says. “It gives students a tremendous experience, especially students who come from small schools.”

One of the top motivations behind the Honor Band Weekend is the chance to attract potential students to Iowa State.

“We do this as a way to recruit new students. We like to give them a chance to hear the ISU Wind Ensemble, as well as see our facilities, and get to know the faculty and the students,” Golemo says. “Its wonderful to have 300 of the finest high school musicians on campus.”

What: ISU Honor Band Weekend

Where: Stephens Auditorium

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

Cost: Free Friday; $4 students, $5 public Saturday