HOULTON – An estimated 160 youth string players from across the state will be in Houlton on Saturday for the 32nd annual American String Teachers Association Festival.

SAD 29 and the Shiretown Area String Students are hosting the event, which is held at a different location in the state each year.

The festival will feature students performing at five different ability levels, each under the direction of a guest conductor. The students spend the morning and part of the afternoon rehearsing together, after which a concert is held in the afternoon.

Performances will range from “London Bridge” and “Shortnin’ Bread,” to the more complex Symphony in G No. 12 (1st Movement) by Mozart.

“It provides a much larger group to play in than the school orchestra,” said Rueline Geishecker, instructor in Houlton. “It challenges the players a little bit because it’s a different conductor than they’re used to.”

The guest conductors for Saturday’s festival are:

. David Adams of New Brunswick, who plays violin with the St. John String Quartet, an artist in residence at the University of New Brunswick, and director of the Fredericton Chamber Orchestra and concertmaster of the St. John Symphony.

. Susann Herold of Fort Fairfield, a 15-year veteran string teacher in the Caribou schools system. A graduate of the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, she is the concertmaster of the Northern Maine Chamber Orchestra and conductor of the newly organized Aroostook Youth Society.

. Betsy Kobayashi of Manchester, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in music performance. She was a student with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki from 1986 to 1988 in Japan and performs with the Maine Chamber Ensemble.

. Tom O’Connor of Fosterville, New Brunswick, is an education consultant and violinist. He is a member of the Northern Maine Chamber Orchestra, the Fredericton Chamber Players and the Boundary Lakes String Quartet.

. Harrison Roper of Houlton is a member of the Boundary Lakes String Quartet, conducts the Northern Maine Chamber Orchestra, and has composed several original works, including “A First Symphony for Young String Orchestra,” parts of which will be played by students at the weekend festival.

Saturday’s concert is open to the public and begins at 3 p.m. at the Southside School in Houlton. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children and students.