Events and public gatherings of all kinds are being canceled in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 across the state of Iowa. If you have tickets to a show or event in the coming month, we recommend checking in with the hosting organization to ensure it’s not been canceled or postponed.
The Des Moines Symphonyis postponing the performance of Carmina Burana originally scheduled for March 14 and 15 and will announced on or before April 1 whether there will be additional cancellations.
The Des Moines Symphony is postponing its performances of Carmina Burana, originally scheduled for March 14 & 15, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Hear more from Music Director & Conductor Joseph Giunta. pic.twitter.com/zhKtaNPfxw
— Des Moines Symphony (@DMSymphony) March 13, 2020
The Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and the Des Moines Civic Center are also postponing concerts and shows through at least March 22.
On Friday, the Des Moines Book Festivalannounced it would cancel this year’s festival, and the Englert Theatre in Iowa City emailed patrons saying will postpone all events until Wednesday, April 8.
We at Iowa Public Radio and the Friends of KHKE/KUNI are canceling the concert planned on March 21 featuring Kevin Morby, Hand Habits and Penny Peach.
Many of these organizations, including us, are offering ticket refunds or exchanges, or will be rescheduling previously planned performances.
In a press release to community members, the Englert Theatre asked patrons to please wait for the announcement of new dates before making a decision about exchanging or refunding tickets.
“As a nonprofit organization navigating a challenging period, we are extremely appreciative of any patron who donates the cost of their ticket in lieu of a refund,” the theatre wrote.
If you can afford to follow this advice for all performing arts organizations and concert venues in Iowa, it’s important at this time to recognize that continued closures across the state will have a large impact on performing arts centers and the musicians and artists that rely on those events for their income.
To find the most recent updates about the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa from Iowa Public Radio's news team, go here.To find updates and guidance from the Iowa Public Health Department, go here.
