Patti Horne’s passion for music shows in the hundreds of piano students she has guided through the years. Continuing a musical legacy that began with her father, a professional trumpet player, she graduated from music school and began performing and teaching private piano lessons.
Following her marriage to fellow musician, Steve Horne, Patti relocated to Las Vegas where Steve played on the famous Las Vegas Strip and she built one of the busiest private studios in town. She rose in the ranks to become president of the Music Teacher’s Association and supervised the rewriting of the curriculum for the Music Achievement Test. She adjudicated numerous music competitions and festivals including the prestigious Bolognini Competition.
Patti and Steve moved to Glenview, IL to take advantage of the diverse opportunities for themselves and their daughter, Kristin. Patti maintains a busy private piano studio and remains a sought after accompanist for the area schools. She continues to be active in North Shore Music Teacher's Association, an affiliate of Music Teacher’s National Association.
At the core of Patti’s teaching is her knowledge that everyone can find joy and inspiration through the study of music.
Steve Horne's career spans three decades and includes working with some of the world's most renowned entertainers. Among his most valued associations and memories are those of Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, The Smothers Brothers, Frank Sinatra, Flip Wilson, Shecky Green, and jazz greats Carl Fontana, Don Menza, Louis Bellson, and Joe Williams.
Steve played his first gig at age fifteen in his home town, Phoenix, Arizona. Having received a full scholarship from the Phoenix Symphony Guild to attend the prestigious Interlochen Summer Music Camp, Steve retained the principal trombonist chair with the World Youth Symphony for the eight week session and performed as soloist with that orchestra after winning the concerto competition. He went on to study with John Marcellus at Catholic University of America, and continued his studies at North Texas State University. A contact made while working as a freelance session and show musician in Dallas, Texas, led Steve to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he spent fifteen years performing with a wide array of internationally acclaimed stars and personalities.
Steve was the lead trombonist for Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Julio Iglesias, Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Cole, Burt Bacharach, Liberace, Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, Dom DeLouise, Phyllis Diller, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Shecky Greene, Bob Hope, George Burns, Liza Minelli, Lido de Paris, Televised telethons, HBO specials, Las Vegas Symphony, Opera, and many more.
Steve relocated to the Chicago area in 1995 and continues to work as a freelance musician performing at venues in and around Chicago. He maintains a private teaching studio at his home in Glenview, Illinois, as well as at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. Steve has been a faculty member for over 14 years at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, and teaches his students the thoughtful pursuance of art and growth through the study of music.