Bruce Chidester was a member of the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa, School of Music in Cedar Falls from 1969 until his retirement in 1999. While at the university he was actively performing with the Faculty Brass Quintet and the Faculty Jazz Quintet. In addition to teaching trumpet, his responsibilities included conducting the UNI Brass Choir, the UNI Jazz Ensemble II and the award winning UNI Bear Cats who were finalist in the 1986 Southern Comfort National Collegiate Dixieland Competition in Chicago, Illinois. His duties also included adjudicating and solo work throughout the state. He has performed at the International Trumpet Guild Convention and the Missouri Trumpet Festival in Columbia, Missouri. In 1982 his professional Dixieland Band (the Cedarloo All-Stars) opened the Bix Beiderbeck Festival in Davenport, Iowa.
Before teaching at UNI he performed in Dallas, Texas where he recorded commercials at Pam Recording Studio and was a member of the State Fair Band of Texas, Starlight Concert Band, Matamoras Brass and the dance bands of Mal Fitch, Tommy Amidor, Durwood Cline, Billy Williams and the Ted Weems. His playing activities included performing in the following hotel bands- Executive Inn, Cabana Motor Inn, Desert Inn, Tower Motel, Baker Hotel and the Fairmont Hotel. Additional shows included-Shrine Circus, Ringling Brothers Circus, Royal Canadian Air Force Mounted Police, Harmonicats, International Water Follies, Ford Auto show, Holiday On Ice, Ice Capades, Lippizan Horse Show, Massey Ferguson tractor show and the Barnes Rodeo. He has performed with many well-known entertainers such as Bob Hope, Jim Nabors, Roy Rogers and Dale Evens, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Anita Bryant, Carman Cavalara, Victor Borgie, the Four Freshman, Blackstone the Magician, Bobby Vinton and John Davidson.
Since moving to Branson, he has performed with the Lawrance Welk Orchestra, Les Brown Orchestra and has been a regular performer with the Bobby Vinton Orchestra for the past three years. He has also performed with the Branson Brass Quintet as well as his own chamber group, the Branson Trumpet Ensemble. He has taught at the College of the Ozarks as well as performing with their College/Community Band and was a selected member of the Branson All-Star Big Band. He was featured twice as soloist on the annual Tri Lakes Singers concert in Kimberling City and has performed with the following shows, musicals and dance bands in the area- Jerry Presley Show, Bye Bye Birdie, Sound of Music, Dave Rice Big Band, Steve Samuelson Big Band and the Les Elgart Orchestra.

Fishing, composing and arranging.