On May 17 at 7 p.m., the Snake River New Horizon Band will present its third annual "Friends and Family" Concert in Goranson Hall in the Idaho State University Fine Arts Building. This concert will showcase nearly 50 instrumentalists who range in age from 20 to 80-plus as they play music to please all age groups. The concert is free to the public, but donations are always welcome.

The program will contain a variety of types of music ranging from jazz, movie music, dance tunes, ballads, etc., and will feature the works of Duke Ellington, John Williams and others. Of particular interest is the world premiere of an arrangement by one of the conductors, Casey Emerson. It is titled "The Swing Era" and is a compilation of several familiar melodies from the 1940s swing/dance era. 

Snake River New Horizons Band is a member of the New Horizons Program, which is supported by the New Horizons International Music Association. The New Horizons Program was started in 1991 by Dr. Roy Ernst at the Eastman School of Music in New York. It has grown to more than 200 chapters in the United States.

The Snake River New Horizons Band is a community-based organization for older adults to recover or discover their musical talents. Membership is open to anyone wishing to dust off the instrument they played in junior high, high school or anywhere along the line, to make music once again as part of an ensemble. The group's motto is “Playing your best is good enough.”

In addition, anyone is encouraged to explore hidden talents by learning to play a band instrument with this group. A beginner class is scheduled each week with a qualified teacher to either learn to play an instrument or relearn their instrument.

The Pocatello band is led by co-directors Beth Buxton and Casey Emerson. Both have been active in working with middle school and high school students and bring a vitality and enthusiasm to the music and the players alike. Buxton is the director of the Music Program in the Grace, Idaho, schools. Emerson was affiliated with the music program in the Pocatello schools and is now on the faculty of the ISU Music Department.

The SRNHB plays at various community venues and functions and for community organizations. The band has presented at retired living facilities, the Senior Activity Center, the Portneuf Valley Farmer’s Market and the Feeding the 5,000 event, among others. The band has enjoyed being invited by the ISU Music Department to perform at the annual fall concert of the ISU Symphonic Band for the past three years. The band has also performed in the Stephens Performing Arts Rotunda before the Christmas concert of the Idaho State Civic Symphony and before the spring concert of the Idaho State Civic Youth Symphony.

If you would like to join the band, or want more information, you can contact any one of the band members, email us at srnhb83201@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page.