For the past 38 years, Doug Peterson, who will turn 81 Thursday, has been the music director of the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, a nonprofit organization that performs choral and orchestra masterworks, musical productions and chamber concerts.

SNMAS is the umbrella organization for three performing groups -- the Musical Arts Chorus, a large community chorus; the Musical Arts Singers, a vocal chamber ensemble of semiprofessional singers; and the Musical Arts Orchestra.