New Horizons String Orchestra

Goshen College New Horizons String Orchestra is part of a growing international movement focused on encouraging adults and seniors to enjoy the health benefits and fun of making music together. Their motto is “your best is good enough.” The musical experience is open to any adult interested in playing a string instrument, even those without any previous experience. Expand your horizons and have fun doing it!

Rehearsal Schedule

Green Orchestra
(Beginning players, no experience necessary)
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9:15-10:15 a.m.

New Horizons String Orchestra
(Intermediate and advanced players)
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:15 a.m.

The two ensemble rehearsals will overlap from 10:00-10:15 a.m. All rehearsals take place in the Greencroft Senior Center, and concerts are held in Rieth Recital Hall at the Goshen College Music Center and throughout the Goshen, Middlebury, and Elkhart communities.

The national New Horizons Music Association was started by Dr. Roy Ernst of Eastman School of Music. Dr. Ernst wanted to to create an entry point to group music-making for adult beginners and a comfortable re-entry point for adults who played music in school and would like to resume after long years of building careers and raising children.

Ernst writes, " I confess that in the late 1980s, when I was just thinking about starting a music program for retired adults, I thought, 'Well, we would want to give concerts, but probably no one would come.' I was so wrong. You will find that New Horizons bands and orchestras become important parts of their communities, performing in many different settings and for large audiences."

Goshen's New Horizons String Orchestra program is an extension of Ernst's vision and is one of many New Horizons ensembles throughout the country.

Questions? Visit the New Horizons Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Other questions about the New Horizons program? Contact director Brook Bennett at (574) 238-6883 or the Community School of the Arts at csa@goshen.edu or by phone at (574) 535-7361.

Please visit the New Horizons International Music Association website for more information about the New Horizons organization.