Williamsburg singers make All-State

BOONE — Five Williamsburg High School Students made All-State Chorus after tryouts Saturday. Four of them have made it before.

The 2025 Iowa All-State Music Festival will mark the 79th anniversary of this prestigious statewide event. District auditions for the 277-member All-State Band, 220- member All-State Orchestra, and 601-member All-State Chorus were held Saturday, Oct. 25, at Le Mars, Hampton-Dumont-CAL, Independence, Atlantic, Indianola and Iowa City West High Schools.

Cooper Bott, a bass, has made All-State each of his four years at Williamsburg High School. Tenor Nolan Kent made the chorus for a third year, tenor Jaxson Douglas and bass Hudson Nunnelley for a second year and alto Kendall Jepson for the first time.

“Cooper's selection for the fourth time is a particularly notable achievement and is very rare,” said Kathryn M. Berte, associate choral director for Williamsburg Community Schools. “His name will be read aloud along with the handful of other 4-year All-State participants at the concert.”

About 17% of the students who audition are selected for membership in the All-State ensembles, according to the Iowa High School Music Association.

Selected students will rehearse in Ames Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21—22, and will perform in the All-State Festival Concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, in Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State University, Ames.

Iowa PBS will record the concert for later broadcast. Broadcast dates and times will be available on the Iowa PBS website at iowapbs.org.

The Iowa All-State Music Festival is presented under the auspices of the Iowa High School Music Association and the Iowa Music Educators Association.

Tickets to the performance are $30 each, plus applicable fees, and all seats are reserved. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.com).