It's Thursday at St. Ann's Parish in Manlius, and a group of approximately 60 string players assemble, rosin their bows, and tune up for rehearsal. They are members of the all-adult Salt City New Horizons Orchestra, and they come from communities across Central New York.
Maybe the viola had been collecting dust for years. Maybe the cello hadn't been out of its case since its player was in seventh grade. Or, maybe there's an adult who holds a long-harbored, but unfulfilled, wish to play an instrument. In each case, people from 50 to 80-plus find a place to learn, practice and perform under the direction of Edie Shillitoe.
Formerly a music teacher at Chittenango High School and past president of the New Yok American String Teachers Association, Shillitoe founded the ensemble when she retired in 2014.
"Conducting an orchestra of adults who play at different levels, including beginners, has been on my bucket list for a long time," she says. "But, I couldn't do it while I was still teaching in public school because of the time commitment."
The orchestra has grown from an initial group of approximately two dozen to an impressive ensemble of 60 or more players. So many people are interested that Shillitoe now shares the leadership duties with another retired music teacher, Rebecca Dodd.
Dodd taught strings at Liverpool Elementary School and Liverpool Middle School, a position she left in June with plans to pursue new challenges. She had already accepted the position of director of the youth string orchestra with the Symphoria Youth Orchestras last year and is committed to continue this season. She also trained and is now qualified to adjudicate New York State School Music Association competitions, and she is teaching private lessons in her Liverpool studio.
"I've been intrigued with the idea of an orchestra for adults," Dodd says. "I am really excited for this opportunity to work with the established group Edie has founded." Dodd gives individual and small group lessons by appointment, and she joins Shillitoe for rehearsals at 7 p.m. Thursdays.
"The orchestra sounds good, and the musicians encourage and support one another. Some people are just starting out. Some have given up their music for years and are happy to discover their skills again," Dodd says.
The musicians' music folders hold up to 30 pieces in a variety of styles ranging from old-time tunes to pop, and from Celtic to classical.
The Salt City orchestra is modeled after the original New Horizons program at Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where the first adult-only band was organized in 1991. The movement caught on across the country and soon included orchestras as well as bands. The programs are designed to be inclusive and to provide adults opportunities to fulfill their musical potential as well as their desire to play in a group setting.
The New Horizons Orchestra performs publicly in adult residences and in holiday concerts, and the musicians will soon appear in a side-by-side concert with the Onondaga Civic Symphony, conducted by Erik Kibelsbeck.
"We want people to reach whatever skill level they want to in order to feel their playing is personally rewarding," Shillitoe says. She warns, however, that most people who start with Salt City New Horizons get hooked and want to continue season after season. Rehearsals incorporate time for snacks and visiting, and some members have made friends who share their social lives, hobbies and travel.
"Socialization is an important component of the orchestra," Shillitoe says. "Adults benefit intellectually, socially and emotionally by being contributing members of a group, and music brings its own special joys."
Participants pay a membership fee for the 12-week season in addition to the cost of lessons, but no person is turned away for lack of ability to pay the fee. New members will be accepted through October for this season and again after the winter break. Information is available on the website at Saltcitynho@weebly.com or through email at saltcitynho@gmail.com.