What's Happening

New, Seasoned or 'rusty' players can register NOW for the 2025-2026 season. Contact us at pnhb.music@gmail.com or go to Contact Us to register. Instrument rental options are available. Rehearsals are on Monday for beginners and on Wednesdays for all other levels, during day time hours. Our main season is September to May. To find out more about our bands, ensembles, Conductors and Coaches go to the music making page To find out about the schedule and fees Go to the members page. Here is our pamphlet explaining PNHB

Come to our "Quilt of Harmony" concert on Friday May 30, 2025, 7pm, at Calvary Church, 1421 Lansdowne St W, Peterborough. All of our concert bands will be performing. Tickets are $15 (children 10 and under free). Purchase tickets from band members or at the door (cash only). Food donations are being collected for the Kawartha Food Bank. We will be sharing our proceeds with Quilts for Cancer. We are no longer taking advertisement for this concert. Thank you to all of the businesses that participated especially our major advertiser "Kawartha Wealth Management".

Join us at our FREE Information Day ! for an explanation of what the PNHB has to offer, demonstrations of various instruments, a meet and greet and some great music! Monday, May 26th, 2025. The presentation begins at 11:00 am and it goes to approx. 1:00 pm. Living Hope Church, 1 Consumers Place, Peterborough, Ontario. It is great entertainment even if you can't join PNHB at this time.

Join us at the Living Well Senior Showcase on Wednesday June 18th from 9am to 4pm at Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre (775 Brealey Dr. Peterborough). PNHB will have a booth there to let the community know about our organization and to sign up new members for the fall. The show features 100+ exhibitors & 10 workshops. FREE parking, admission, and refreshments, it’s a popular event for exhibitors and attendees alike. Click here for more information

Watch for these events on our Facebook page click here

Peterborough New Horizon Band is a registered charity. Please donate here

Contact Us if you would like PNHB to present what we do.

Introduction

We are more than 175 music-and-fun-loving members of all ages who play together in five concert bands. We play a wide variety of music on brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.

We welcome newcomers with whatever level of musical experience they have, and even those who have never read a musical note or played any instrument. There is a place for everyone and we will find it for you.

Our green band welcomes those with little or no musical experience, those whose musical skills are a little rusty and those who would like to learn to play a new instrument. Graduates of Green Band and those with prior musical experience are members of one (or more) of our other four bands.

Each band is led by one or two of our five fun loving and experienced conductors. As well, coaches work with our members in smaller groups, usually once every two weeks - more often with Green Band members.

All bands perform in concerts in May and December.

Smaller groups (ensembles) perform at community events, in residential homes and in schools. We encourage new ensembles to form around a particular interest: there is something for everyone.

Check out the Music Making page for more information on the bands and conductors.

Rehearsals

We rehearse at the Living Hope Church 1 Consumers Pl, Peterborough (on Lansdowne), typically between 9am-4pm. See the members page for the current schedule for each band and events. Wheelchairs and pushers are available for those who need help.

Social events

Though our raison d'être is to play music together. We also like to relax, eat and enjoy each other's company.

Our Social Committee organizes many fun events, like pot luck lunches, often with entertainment by our own musical groups, picnics at the zoo and other group events.

About every two years, we form a holiday band - the "Sunshine Band". The band rehearses through Summer and Fall to prepare a concert for a winter holiday destination. So far, these fun adventures have included a cruise and two trips to Cuba.

Also we have band exchanges with other New Horizons Bands. At these special performances, we come together to share our musical experiences,

To get a better feel for our social activities, please check out the archives and members sections of this website.

Organization

PNHB is a non-profit organization administered by a member volunteer Board of Directors, which is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the bands. Other PNHB members have volunteered and taken responsibility for organizing many functions and activities including roles such as: music librarian, social coordinator, concert band manager, email coordinator, green band manager, treasurer (a Board position), and membership dues collector.

Each ensemble is self-governing and has a treasurer responsible for collecting fees.

Our five merry conductors and our coaches are paid contractors.

Our Mission

Peterborough New Horizons Bands members believe that making music together has many cognitive, social and health benefits. Our mission is to provide the opportunity for adults to learn to play a musical instrument in a band setting, without the necessity of previous experience, for the purpose of enjoyment, performance, and community outreach in a nurturing and friendly environment where the premise that “your best is good enough” and “your best keeps getting better” prevails.

Our History

The New Horizons Bands program was conceived by Dr. Roy Ernst, then a professor at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester University. He believed that anybody can learn to play a musical instrument, and at any age. The first New Horizons Band was formed in Rochester New York in 1991 and to-day, there are more than 100 similar programs in the United States, Canada, Australia and Ireland.

The program aims to provide instruction to adults wishing to learn how to play wind, brass or percussion instruments. It is also for individuals who might have played in high school but put it aside for many years. Membership in a New Horizons Band can fill your life with music, new friends, fun and accomplishment.

The Peterborough, Ontario, Canada New Horizons Bands (PNHB) was formed in the spring of 2002 with 52 new members. PNHB now has almost 200 members: it is one of the fastest growing and largest of all New Horizons organizations.

PNHB continues to be a member of New Horizons International Association.