COLUMBUS – The Columbus Symphony ‘s popular Picnic with the Pops outdoor concert series returns this weekend after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The orchestra and Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz will kick off the 2021 Nationwide Picnic with the Pops on Saturday with Windborne’s symphonic rock hybrid The Music of Queen at the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion in the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons downtown.
Gates open at 6pm. The concert begins at 8pm.
The orchestra will present a special free performance of its annual Patriotic Pops concert on Friday, June 25, where healthcare workers, first responders, active members of the military, veterans, and their families will be the only members of the audience and they will receive free admission by pre-registering with an online reservation and presenting an appropriate service ID at the gate.
Each reservation can include up to six people.
“We want to honor those who have worked tirelessly to get us to the light at the end of the tunnel that we are now beginning to enjoy. We want to celebrate our freedoms with those who have protected, provided, and cared for our community throughout this pandemic, and invite them and their families to come relax and enjoy,” CSO executive director Denise Rehg said.
The concert will feature a performance by guest vocalist N’Kenge, patriotic favorites and rousing Sousa marches, including “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and a fireworks display.
The public performance of Patriotic Pops will be the following night.
The 2021 Nationwide Picnic with the Pops is the CSO’s 37th series and the 9th season at the Columbus Commons.