Who: New Horizons Symphony Orchestra
What: Free concert
When: Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: New Mexico State University Atkinson Recital Hall
Contact: (575) 522-5571, (575) 523-9101

Fresh from a highly successful concert in February, the Las Cruces New Horizons Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) offers the second free concert of the year on Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall. Dr. William Leland, their featured soloist, is a retired professor of music at NMSU and has performed in Las Cruces and around the Southwest for over 30 years.

Dr. Leland will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with the orchestra. In addition, the orchestra will play the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, the second and third movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and the Great Gate of Kiev, one of the pieces in the suite “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Moussorgsky.

The orchestra is comprised of over 40 musicians, some of whom were music majors in college and who have performed professionally. The orchestra includes strings, wind, percussion, and – in this instance – a piano.

Dr. Leland retired from NMSU in 2000, after 30 years with the university. A native of Philadelphia, he has made numerous solo and ensemble appearances throughout the Southwest, has performed in Germany, Italy, Mexico, and in 27 states, and holds advanced performance degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the Niedersächische Musikhochschule of Hanover, Germany.

He and NHSO conductor Oscar Butler have long planned for Leland to perform in a concert with the symphony. He says, “Oscar Butler and I were old, old colleagues. When I first came (to NMSU) in 1969, our offices were right next to each other. I used to play a lot for his choral concerts. We’ve known each other for many, many years. He retired when I retired and then he became the conductor for the New Horizons Symphony Orchestra. We got to talking about it and I said ‘Let’s do a Mozart concerto some time.’”

It took a couple of years to get that concert together because the symphony lacked the essential clarinet players. Once that hurdle was cleared, the concert was scheduled.

In his retirement, Dr. Leland has rediscovered his love of flying, renewed his pilots license and bought a Piper Warrior. He used to fly to concerts around the Southwest when he was the pianist in residence at NMSU. Now he flies for enjoyment and to visit his family, including one son in Albuquerque, another in Oregon, and a daughter in Phoenix. Daughter Caroline is also a professional musician who plays viola with the Arizona Opera and as part of the Phoenix Piano Quartet with her father. The quartet recently gave a performance at NMSU.

The Las Cruces NHSO is part of the New Horizons International Music Association, as is the local New Horizons Band. Both groups provide the opportunity for adults aged 50 and older to either return to their musical roots or explore their artistic side for the first time. The first New Horizons Band was created in 1991 by Dr. Roy Ernst of the Eastman School of Music and now there are bands and orchestras across the country and around the world. While complete beginners are encouraged to take private lessons before joining the symphony, those with basic musical knowledge are welcome to join the group and will be nurtured by their peers and conductor Oscar Butler.

This is the fifth year for the Las Cruces chapter, which gives free concerts two to three times annually, and practices weekly at Las Cruces High School. For more information about joining the orchestra, attending or scheduling a concert, call 575-522-5571 or 575-523-9101. You may also check their Web site at www.nhsocruces.com.

For a complete listing of events in Las Cruces, visit www.lascrucescvb.org.

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