MASON CITY – New Horizons Band will present a free Christmas Concert at Music Man Square, 308 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Mason City, on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 4pm in Reunion Hall . The concert will feature the premier performance of Birchland Suite (Birchland is the English translation of the Norwegian name Bjorklund). The New Horizons Band commissioned composer Jackson Anderson of Garber, Oklahoma, to compose a selection to honor director Bernie Bjorklund on his fifty years of sharing his musical talents with musicians of all ages in the North Iowa area. The piece includes influences from well-known hymns, Meredith Willson, and march composer Karl King.
For over twenty years, the New Horizons Music programs have helped bands form to give seniors an opportunity to learn (or re-learn) how to play an instrument and become active in musical groups. The Mason City New Horizons Band started in October 2004 with seven members. There are now 55 members from all over North Iowa.