WATERLOO - A small group of Iowa-born musicians offered up a "musical appetizer" of chamber pieces Friday night during a live broadcast of Iowa Public Radio's "Know the Score."

The show, hosted by Joan Kjaer, which blends music and art with discussions on culture and history, featured performers from the Cedar Valley Chamber Music Festival and interviews with the organization's founder Hunter Capoccioni.

"This is just a musical appetizer for the main course (Saturday) night," Capoccioni said before the show.

The music festival will conclude Aug. 15 with a 7 p.m. show in the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum lobby. Tickets are $20 and include admission to the museum. The show will also feature photographs and letters from Iowa soldiers and their families.

Kjaer said Capoccioni approached her about teaming up for the show which highlighted President Abraham Lincoln, poet Walt Whitman and Iowans who took part in the Civil War. She also said she hoped the show brought more attention to the Iowa Veterans Museum and more people out for the Saturday night performance.

Capoccioni said his love for Iowa Public Radio actually spurred the idea of social commentary mixed into a traditional music festival.

"Iowa Public radio has two kinds of stations - one for music and one for news," he said. "I thought it would be great to fuse those two together for this festival. To me, this show is a meeting of the minds to make us rethink the impact of Lincoln and Whitman."

Those familiar with the Chamber Music Festival said it is unlike any other event in the Cedar Valley.

"This is music you would never hear anywhere else," said Brad Howland of Cedar Falls. "This is a very talented group of people. I love getting exposed to these new pieces."

Friday night's "Know the Score" show will re-air at 11 a.m. Sunday on all Iowa Public Radio classical stations, including KHKE-FM, 89.5, in Waterloo and Cedar Falls.