Raeleen H. Horn

2010 Bandmaster of the Year Honoree
Music Department Chair and Director of Bands - Palatine High School

     Raeleen H. Horn is the Music Department Chair and Director of Bands at Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois. This marks her 30th year of teaching at Palatine High School.

     Her conducting responsibilities include Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Variety Show Pit Band, Musical Pit Orchestra, Brass Choir, Percussion Ensemble

and Pep Band.

     Miss Horn received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northern Illinois University and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University where she studied conducting with

John P. Paynter. She is active as an adjudicator and guest conductor. She is a member of A.S.B.D.A., Phi Beta Mu, and MENC.

     Articles written by Miss Horn have appeared in two professional music journals: The Instrumentalist and The School Musician. She is the 1992 State and North Central Regional winner of the American School Band Director's Association Stanbury Award and the 2010 Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster Award.

Under Miss Horn's direction, Palatine High School Bands have traveled extensively throughout the United States and participate in approximately 55 performances each year. Our tour highlights include the years 1989 and 1996, when the Marching Band represented the United States in the Lord Mayor of Westminster's New Year's Day Parade in London, England. The Marching Band was selected to be one of ten Illinois bands featured on a compact disc recording entitled Marching Bands 1977. The group also represented the State of Illinois in the World War II Memorial Dedication Parade in Washington, D.C. The Symphonic Band has acclaimed musical excellence by honors received at state, national and international levels including the Pacific Basin Music Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii. During the Spring of 2000, Symphonic Band traveled to the International Music Festival Competition in Toronto, Canada. The band received the only gold medal awarded. In 2008, Symphonic Band performed a Memorial Day concert at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. In Spring of 2010, the Symphonic Band travels to Washington, D.C. and will perform at Schlesinger Concert Hall as part of the National Festival of States Memorial Day Celebration. Dale Clevenger, Principal French Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will be a featured guest soloist with the band.

     Many professional musicians, along with television and radio personalities, have performed and narrated with the Palatine High School Symphonic Band. Musicians from the Chicago Symphony include:  Melody Lord - Piano, Tage Larson - Trumpet and Dale Clevenger - French Horn. Television and radio personalities include: Joel Daly and Harry Porterfield from ABC 7 Chicago -Wayne Messmer the voice of Wrigley Field - Vince Gerasole from CBS Channel 2 News - Orion Samuelson and Dean Richards from WGN Radio. The Palatine High School Marching Band recording of Louie, Louie often opens the Saturday morning Mr. Fix It Show with Lou Manfridini on WGN Radio.

     Miss Horn has worked with Clint Eastwood and Dennis Quaid. Thirteen Palatine High School instrumentalists performed as a 1940s high school band in the movie Flags of Our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood. Band musicians also appeared as the Syracuse Marching Band in The Express starring Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown.

     For more information, please check the Palatine High School Band website: www.palatinehighschoolband.org