The Beaufort County Community Orchestra will salute troops both past and present with a free concert on Veterans Day.

The concert will be held at Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre in Washington at 7 p.m. on Friday, in a departure from the group’s past performances.

“We normally do a Christmas concert, but the Turnage gave us this date. We thought we’d take advantage of it being Veterans Day, which is how we ended up with a patriotic theme,” said Dawn Pooser, a violin instructor and member of the orchestra.

The program features patriotic standards such as the national anthem, “God Bless America” and the “Semper Fideles” march by John Philip Sousa, as well as a little bit of ragtime with a piece by Scott Joplin and an arrangement of “Amazing Grace” by Matt Naughtin, among several others.

The community orchestra attracts a wide range of players, from Suzuki violin students to older musicians. Pooser, who plays alongside six of her students in the orchestra, said the performances are an opportunity for the young players.

“It’s an outlet for my children, to show their talent and how hard they’ve been working,” she said.

Between Pooser and Lois Omonde, who also plays with BCCO, the teachers have 15 or 16 Suzuki students who will get their own time on the Turnage stage with two Suzuki arrangements. The concert honoring veterans will also feature the Northside High School AFROTC Color Guard.

“It’s such a great thing to expose our community to, and it brings people together,” Pooser said.

The Turnage Theatre is located at 150 W. Main St., Washington. For more information, call 252-946-2504 or visit artsofthepamlico.org.