Mike Horanski is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he began both vocal and instrumental study at a very early age. His excellent training and rich experiences throughout his grade school years led to the pursuit of a music degree and a continued interest in both music performance and music education. Mr. Horanski earned his Bachelor of Science in Music Education and Master of Music in Music Education degrees from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he performed and studied conducting under the leadership of Dr. Brady Allred. Mr. Horanski began his teaching career in the Pennsylvania public school system in the fall of 1997 serving for eight years as the choral director at Dorseyville Middle School in the Fox Chapel Area School District located in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Choirs under Horanski’s direction were invited to be featured performers for the MENC Eastern Division Convention, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association. In 2004, Mr. Horanski was nominated by the Fox Chapel Area School District as a candidate for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award. While managing a successful teaching career, Mr. Horanski concurrently served as the Tenor soloist and Youth Choir Director at the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church and performed with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. He also maintained a part time schedule as a private vocal instructor. Mike Horanski joined the music faculty of Robinson Secondary School (Fairfax County Public Schools) as the Director of High School Choral Activities in the fall of 2005. At Robinson, Mr. Horanski directs four high school choral ensembles, serves as the music director for the spring musical productions and sponsors the Robinson Secondary Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. He also acts as the Choral Representative for VCDA District XI. His ensembles study and perform a varied repertoire and consistently earn superior ratings at both district level and national level music festivals throughout the United States. Most recently, Horanski and the Robinson Select Women’s Ensemble have been invited to perform for the Virginia Music Educators Association. Mr. Horanski has served as a guest conductor for several choral festivals at the middle school and high school levels. For five years he appeared on live television as the music director and conductor of the “All-Star High School Choir” for the WPXI (Pittsburgh) Channel 11 “Carol Sing” broadcast. Horanski is currently active as a high school choral director, guest conductor, adjudicator and private vocal instructor. He also continues his musical work in the church setting serving as the Director of Music at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Virginia. Mike Horanski lives in South Riding, Virginia with his wife, Tiffany Powell, who is the Choral Director at Oakton High School (Fairfax County Public Schools) in Vienna, Virginia. He continues to enjoy sharing his passion for music with others each and every day. If you would like to contact Mr. Horanski, please click on this e-mail address: MTHoranski@fcps.edu |