Full Salute! concert returns for Bartholomew Memorial Day weekend

A full version of the annual Salute! concert is returning to Columbus on Memorial Day weekend for the first time in two years.

The free concert, performed by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, will be held on Friday, May 27th starting at 7 p.m. on the lawn of the Bartholomew County courthouse. Organizers say that with the lull in the pandemic, it is important to the community to be able to come together for fellowship but also to honor those who have given their lives in defense of the country.

Over the last two years of the pandemic, the annual concert has been performed with restrictions on audience size and spacing in 2021, and was canceled in 2020 with only a virtual watch party for discussion with philharmonic members and video clips of past performances.

This year’s Salute! concert will be the last performance with the philharmonic by conductor David Bowden, who is retiring after 35 years with the orchestra.

The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic is also asking you to donate to support the Salute! concert. Donation information is available on the orchestra website at thecip.org/salute or you can stop by the philharmonic offices at 315 Franklin Street.