STATE JAZZ BAND, JAZZ CHOIR, and SHOW CHOIR FESTIVALS

Registration Deadline:     December 3, 2025
Penalty Deadline: December 9, 2025
Festival Date: January 26, 2026 (State Jazz Band, North – All Classes)January 31, 2026 (State Jazz Band, South – All Classes)
January 31, 2026 (State Jazz Choir, North – All Classes)February 2, 2026 (State Jazz Choir, South – All Classes)
February 9, 2026 (State Show Choir, All Classes)
Registration Fee: Jazz Bands and Show Choirs: $175.00Jazz Choirs: $150.00
Admission Fee: Adults – $12, Senior Citizens (62+) – $7, K-12 Students – $5

Information for the General Public

2026 STATE JAZZ SERIES SITE ASSIGNMENTS

Admission Fee: Adults – $12, Senior Citizens (62+) – $7, K-12 Students – $5

  • State Jazz Band Festival – Site Locations, Directions, and Performance Schedules
    • Saturday, January 31, 2026 (Southern Half of Iowa)
  • State Jazz Choir Festival – Site Locations, Directions, and Performance Schedules
    • Saturday, January 31, 2026 (Northern Half of Iowa)
    • Monday, February 2, 2026 (Southern Half of Iowa)
      • Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • Dallas Center-Grimes: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • North Scott, Eldridge: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
  • State Show Choir Festival – Site Locations, Directions, and Performance Schedules
    • Monday, February 9, 2026
      • Harlan: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • MFL-MarMac: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • North Polk, Alleman: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • Spirit Lake: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound
      • Washington: Schedule – Directions – Pre-Order Tickets Online via Bound

2026 Festival Results

Information for Directors

DIRECTOR INFORMATION including General Rules and Regulations, Jazz Band Regulations, Show Choir Regulations, and Jazz Choir Regulations

Copyright Compliance: License Verification System

Registration Forms:

Sample Adjudication Forms:

IHSMA Jazz Band and Jazz Choir Festivals are set up with a north/south format:

  • Monday of Week 30 (Monday, January 26, 2026) is the date for the IHSMA Jazz Band Festival, North – all classes.
    The Monday festival will begin between 3:30 and 4:00 PM and conclude ~ 10:00 PM.
  • Saturday of Week 30 (Saturday, January 31, 2026) as the date for IHSMA Jazz Band Festival, South AND IHSMA Jazz Choir Festival, North – all classes.  The Saturday festival will begin at 8:00 AM and conclude ~ 5:00 PM.
  • Monday of Week 31 (Monday, February 2, 2026) is the date for the IHSMA Jazz Choir Festival, South – all classes.
    The Monday festival will begin between 3:30 and 4:00 PM and conclude ~ 10:00 PM. (with the exception of Dallas Center-Grimes)

Counties assigned to the north date include: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Crawford, Delaware, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Grundy , Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Linn, Lyon, Marshall, Mitchell, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux, Story, Tama, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, and Wright.

Counties assigned to the south date include: Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Scott, Shelby, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, and Wayne.

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