About Salt Lake Valley NHO

What Are We?

The Salt Lake Valley New Horizons Orchestra (SLVNHO) is for mature string players: violin, viola, cello or bass. Our purpose is to give adults the chance to make music in a group. Members come to the group with recent experience, distant experience and no experience. We get together to improve our music skills, exercise our brains, have fun with others, and experience the special joy of making music with others. Many of us are retired from a variety of careers, or are "empty-nesters". We now have the time to explore new hobbies or revisit old ones. At a time of our lives where we want to keep our minds active, learning to play a string instrument provides lots of opportunity.

Our group started in 2008. Many of our previous members improved enough to advance to community orchestras. Those still with our group stay because we have fun and this is a safe environment for playing our string instruments; where "your best is good enough". There are no auditions and all are welcome, regardless of skill level. The music we are currently playing is considered easy to medium-easy. We have been playing Broadway and movie tunes, fiddling pieces, pop music and a few more difficult classical pieces to push us. If there is enough demand to form a beginner group, we can look into that. We can also assist beginners in finding an outside teacher to get started. So, the more that join, the more we can offer.

Our hope and our goal is to spread the word and enlarge this group. We are one of over 200 groups belonging to the New Horizons International Music Association. NHIMA groups provide a wonderful opportunity for adults to make music together. Though the program was designed for seniors but all adults are welcome to join.