Memory of Mary Divers lives on through music of New Horizons Band

After a decades-long break from his instrument, Angelo van Engelen went to a band concert in 2013, then decided he wanted to pick up his trombone again. He approached the late Mary Divers for lessons. She taught him for many years, and he also joined her band, the New Horizons Musical Organization of the Lakes Region.

It was a similar story for Linda Clairmont, an alto saxophone player who moved to Laconia from Belmont after 46 years, and wanted to join the New Horizons Band, as it’s more commonly known. When Clairmont called Divers, Divers remembered the two had gone to high school together and played in the school band.

Debbi Gibson was the person Divers called in 2016. She was having a scheduled a medical procedure and needed someone to conduct the band in her absence. Gibson stepped in, and never left.

Preserving Mary’s memory

Van Engelen, Clairmont and Gibson — and so many others — loved Divers with a passion, and describe her as larger than life: warm, sunny, inviting. Everyone who met Divers, they say, wanted to better themselves, for her.

“She had an absolutely wonderful personality,” said van Engelen. “She would draw you in, persuade you to take on new things and challenge yourself, but she always did it with a smile.”

Clairmont agreed. “She was a force.”

Divers, 72, died almost two years ago after a long, debilitating journey with a rare health condition which affected her mobility and eyesight. Her memory is kept alive by many in the area, including her musical friends.

In 2024, Divers’ friends in New Horizons hired composer Robert Sheldon to compose a piece in her memory. “The Lakes” combined all the musical elements Divers loved — from hymns to hand bells, and marches to trumpets.

This year, the New Horizons Band will perform at the Gilford Community Church, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, and their last concert of the year will be at the Colonial Theatre in Laconia with the Power Chords, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

“It was always Mary’s dream to one day play at the Colonial,” van Engelen said, adding, “For us it’s very special to be able to do this and think of her.”

About Mary Divers

Born in Maryland, Divers moved to Laconia at the end of 10th grade. Inspired by her grandfather, she was an active band member at Laconia High School, playing solos, learning the trombone and taking part in All-State performances.

She was likewise involved as a musician at Plymouth State College, where she earned a degree in music education before launching a teaching career, and enhancing her skills and knowledge several years later, earning a master’s of music at West Chester State College in Pennsylvania.

Mary worked in training and development for the Laconia State School from 1975 until its closing in 1991, and was involved in dozens of musical endeavors in the region. She directed choirs, including a bell choir, in the community and at her church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Laconia. She also offered music lessons to adults and children in her home for many years.

Divers played in a jazz band, and in 2007, with Karen Simpson, Mary co-founded the local chapter of the New Horizons International Music Association, directing until her rare condition took her eyesight.

Gibson stepped up in her place, yet Divers did not give up. She played the trumpet in the band instead.

“It was incredibly important that this band would survive her,” Clairmont said.

About New Horizons

When Mary founded the band, it was intended for adults who wanted to pick up an instrument they hadn’t played in many years, or for those who wanted to learn from scratch. Divers offered music lessons to those who needed it at the Music Clinic in Belmont, where the band continues to rehearse.

New Horizons, a nonprofit, is open to people 40 and over, and geared to people who have time to invest in practicing, playing and filling a void in their lives. There are currently 40 musicians on the roster.

On average, there are four annual performances, including Hesky Park in Meredith on Independence Day, the Taylor Community during the summer and the holidays, and in Sanbornton on Old Home Day.

Once a year, all four New Horizons Bands in New Hampshire get together to rehearse and perform. Other Granite State groups are located in Concord, Keene and Portsmouth.

Concerts are free to the public; funding comes through donations, grants and member dues. And in recent years, young people have been invited to join, and the fee is waived.

“I love when you have kids sitting next to older folks,” Gibson said, noting she loves the band for its mentorship and relationship-building.

“It offers the joy of being with other people who share that same interest in making music,” van Engelen said. “It’s a great fulfillment. The rehearsals are very important, not to get better at playing, but being together.”

Clairmont loves the intellectual challenge of being part of the band. “It is a way for me to find joy, absolute joy,” she said. “It’s an upper for sure.”

Learn more about New Horizons Band at newhorizons-lakesregion.org.