Iowa Music

Due to the pandemic, all of Iowa’s major music festivals were cancelled in 2020. IPR’s Tony Dehner checked in to find out how organizers are planning for summer 2021.

Iowa artists released over a dozen albums online or on disc in 2020, with topics ranging from Bach to the Dust Bowl to a solar eclipse.

The Des Moines Metro Opera’s 2013 production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors starring Pierce Mansfield will be broadcast Thursday afternoon, December 24 at 3 p.m. on IPR Classical. We checked in with Mansfield about how he's doing now. He was only 13 when he appeared in the opera as "Amahl."

If you collect vinyl, you probably enjoy looking at the liner notes on the back of the albums. Here are production notes for the Holiday Special. It's only because of creative community and collaboration that this show was made possible.

This week and next we’re finding out about some of the best new music released in 2020.

Independent music and arts venues in Iowa have been closed to large, in-person audiences all year. Here's how you can help.

Mark Simmet's favorite album picks for 2020 show the diversity of Iowa's musical talent.

Ames based artist King Wylde is anticipating the drop of his debut E.P. early next year with the release of its lead single, “Hurricane 2.0.” A talented guitarist and vocalist, he has paired his love of Pierce the Veil and other musical influences with his desire to inspire others to express themselves.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with a variety of creatives to find out about four different virtual holiday performances.

Join Iowa Public Radio Studio One and xBk for The Holiday Special, an original musical for a pandemic year at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20 at iowapublicradio.org.