ADRIAN HORN.....Class of.....1954

Adrian G. Horn, Director of the Finger Lakes Choral Festival, has had a lifetime of involvement in virtually every aspect of choral music. He sang with Robert Shaw for two years while still in high school, received a BS in vocal performance at SUNY Fredonia (where he was Captain of the baseball team and also played semi-pro football with the Fredonia Orioles) and a Masters Degree specializing in Choral Music from Columbia University. Adrian then entered the Navy and was appointed Director of the Naval Aviation Cadet Choir while undergoing training as a Naval Aviation Officer.

After completing his tour of duty, he became a professional chorister with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Subsequently, he entered the doctoral program at Columbia University, but was sidetracked from completing a thesis on developing community choruses by the priority of putting his ideas into action. What followed was a remarkable adventure of choral activities, including:

Founding Director, San Francisco City Chorus, for which he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the City of San Francisco for bringing great music to the people of the city
Director, Olympic Athletic Club of San Francisco Men's Chorus
Founding Director, Women's Chorus of San Francisco
Director, San Francisco State University Chorus, where he built the chorus from 35 to 225 members in five semesters
Founding Director, San Francisco Festival of Carols
Founding Director, San Francisco Choral Society, a 250 voice symphonic chorus, regularly performing before sold-out houses at Davies Symphony Hall

As a conductor, Adrian has an extraordinary ability to inspire singers to bring passion and meaning to their music. Singers stay on their toes because they don't want to miss any of his colorful comments or unique musical insights. At one rehearsal, before a chorus and orchestra of nearly 500 performing the Berlioz Requiem at the cavernous San Francisco Civic Auditorium he quipped, "All I wanted to do was get some people together to sing, and the whole thing got totally out of hand."

At the height of his success with the San Francisco Choral Society, after conducting three sold-out performances of Carmina Burana at Davies Symphony Hall in October 1992Adrian left San Francisco to pursue perhaps his most rewarding career, stay-at-home-Dad for his three young boys. But music always seemed to follow, as did the Directorship of the Sequim Community Chorus in Washington, and after relocating to New York, the Jamestown Choral Society.

The Finger Lakes Choral Festival, now entering its sixth season, is the current focus of his life-long obsession with bringing people together to sing great choral music.

Well done Adrian, You followed your dreams and you have proved that Madison has turned out another shining star.