New Horizons Band of NNY seeking new members, preparing for summer concerts

Andy Gardner, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Jul. 8—POTSDAM — The New Horizons Band of Northern New York is getting ready for summer performances and is seeking new members.

The community group is aimed at senior citizens who may have played an instrument in the past, or are looking to learn one in their spare time. They have a concert band and a swing band. Both rehearse at the Crane School of Music, the concert band at 10 a.m. Fridays and the swing band on Tuesday evenings.

"It's geared toward seniors and retirees. You do not have to be a senior. We have had a few people that are younger ... most people available on Friday mornings have retired," said Kathy M. Calcagno, a New Horizons member. "Anyone at any age can learn to play a musical instrument and get satisfaction from it. So our membership is geared to retirees and seniors ... most people, but not exclusively, have played an instrument in the past."

"A lot of people in our bands have played in the past, either in elementary or high school, and a lot of times it's kind of put away in a closet and 30-40 years later, something kind of draws them back," she said.

For the less experienced members, New Horizons offers a Friday morning clinic starting at 8 a.m. Led by Brenda Curley, former instrumental music director at Edwards-Knox, members rehearse challenging passages of music as well as learn music theory and fundamentals such as scales and dynamics.

"Rehearsing some of the pieces right before band practice allows me extra time to think through some of the more difficult areas and feel more confident," concert band member Janet Van Weringh said. She started playing clarinet in 2016.

The band typically numbers around 50 to 60 people.

"We kind of like to keep that at that number," Calcagno said. "We like to have a number of new members. People either move away, or heaven forbid, pass away. We always like to have a few new members."

"Right now I think we have a pretty well-rounded band. We'd always like a few more maybe flute players. We could use some more percussion. Really any instrument, we would love to have that person join us," she said.

Membership dues are $115 per year. Members have to provide their own instrument. In Potsdam, Brick and Mortar Music sells and rents instruments, but they can come from anywhere.

"When my husband first joined, we found his trombone at a garage sale," Calcagno said.

Coming up, New Horizons will perform as part of Potsdam Summerfest, on July 15 at 10 a.m. in Ives Park.

Anyone who is interested in joining can contact Calcagno at 315-344-7518 or Music Director Diane Matthie at NewHorizonsNNY@gmail.com.

New Horizons of Northern NY was founded in 2009 by Ron Berry as an offshoot of a larger international organization. It's members today come from around St. Lawrence County. New Horizons International was started in 1991 by Roy Ernst, professor emeritus at Eastman School of Music in Rochester. There are now over 200 New Horizons bands, orchestras, and choirs in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.