Orchestra Iowa in Cedar Rapids plans to bring back Brucemorchestra this summer, the organization’s popular outdoor concert at the historic Brucemore estate.
The concert is scheduled to return Aug. 29, marking the first Brucemorchestra performance since 2021. A planned 2022 concert was canceled after two rainouts, and the financial strain of that double cancellation led the organization to suspend the event in 2023.
Orchestra Iowa launched a public fundraising campaign in January and has since reached its $50,000 minimum fundraising goal that will help offset rising production costs.
According to organizers, staging a single Brucemorchestra concert can cost between $100,000 and $200,000 — expenses the organization said it must shoulder even if severe weather causes a cancellation. Dana Jensen, Orchestra Iowa's marketing and public relations manager, said that's due to the unique outdoor setting at Brucemore.
“We have to build the stage and bring in the sound equipment every time we perform at Brucemore. That is our biggest expense by far,” she said. “When we perform at the Paramount in Cedar Rapids or Voxman in Iowa City, the stage is already there and so is most of the equipment we use. None of that exists at Brucemore, so everything has to be brought in.”
She said some costs are incurred months before the concert, while others arise because the organization can't provide more than 24 hours' notice in the event of a weather cancellation.
To avoid another weather-related setback, Orchestra Iowa has secured an indoor rain location for this year’s concert if both Aug. 29 and its designated rain date are washed out.
“While this added additional expenses to the concert, it does mean we will be able to go forward with the concert regardless of the weather,” Jensen said.
Orchestra Iowa leaders said Brucemorchestra has long been a favorite community tradition, drawing families and music lovers from across eastern Iowa. As part of its 2026 return, children 17 and younger will be admitted free of charge.
With the minimum fundraising goal now met, organizers will continue raising money in the months ahead to strengthen financial support for the event.
