Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Cascade Festival of Music has played its last finale on the banks of the Deschutes River in Bend.

Festival board members blame mounting debts, stagnant ticket sales, and the inability to find big donors amid the struggling economy in Central Oregon.

So they called off the festival's 27th season. Henry Sayre is the president of the festival board.

Henry Sayre: “Probably the most painful decision I’ve ever had to make as an adult. It was the last thing I wanted to do, and I’d say, up until six months ago, the last thing I would have predicted I’d have to do. Events conspired to make it pretty much irresponsible to go on.”

Sayre says ticket sales over the last three years suggested the classical concert series was not attracting new audience members. He says donated radio announcements raised only about fifty dollars.

Sayre suspects some donors believed that the festival was expanding too fast. He says others stayed on the sidelines, waiting for bigger donations before committing money.

Sayre says he donated $60,000 dollars. The festival was looking at $300,000 in debt, if it held this summer’s season.