Biography

 Dr. Istvan Hornyak was born in Salzburg, Austria of Hungarian parents fleeing the communist occupation of Hungary. He received most of his education in Colorado earning a Bachelor of Music (BM) and a Master of Arts (MA) in piano performance from the University of Denver. Later, he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in composition from the University of Colorado and his professional teaching license/certification from Metropolitan State College in choral and instrumental music. While at the University of Denver, he studied composition with Normand Lockwood and later, at the University of Colorado, with Cecil Effinger. He has also performed extensively and has been sponsored by the Colorado Council of the Arts and Humanities, Columbia Savings, Littleton’s Town Hall, the International House in Denver, the Eaton RE 2 School District, St. Thomas More Center and by sponsors in Denmark and Hungary as well as a variety of other churches and organizations.
His accomplishments in composition are also notable. He premiered three masses for orchestra, chorus and soloists at St. Thomas More Center in Englewood and has won awards and commissions in composition from the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). He has been invited to be a clinician and guest speaker for conventions and colleges such as the University of Omaha, University of Northern Colorado, Adams State College and CMEA. His compositions have been reviewed in The Diapason and have been published by Denmark’s Edition Egtved, and in the United States by Twin Elm, Emerson Music and most recently, by Bock Music and Hal Leonard.
In 1992 he won a Fulbright to teach in Denmark for one year at the Stenhus Gymnasium in Holbaek. Later, he won the 1996 Colorado Teacher of the Year award. During his tenure as Colorado’s representative, he met president Clinton and has had many speaking engagements concerning education in America and more specifically, the importance of the arts in education for our children. He has worked with the Colorado Department of Education as well as the Colorado Education Association. Having spent twenty-three years in public education, he is more than ever today an ardent advocate for the arts.
By conducting, directing and writing choral music, both sacred and secular, Dr. Hornyak has been immersed in the world of poetry all his life. In the literature of choral music, he discovered the vast and fascinating styles and forms of poetry in numerous works. Reading and learning the poetry and then interpreting the poems through music has been a life-long passion. Early in his career, he began to write poetry in many forms: sonnets, ballads, blank verse and other modes. Most recently, he published a new work partly based on the Faust legends and stories, Death and Transfiguration, a tragic drama in five acts. This work is completely set in poetry and incorporates a wide variety of poetic techniques and styles. His love of theater, however, also continues to inspire him and he is currently writing some new plays for the stage as well as poetry.
Having retired from public education, Dr. Hornyak has enjoyed private teaching (voice and piano) and composition. Some of his other goals include playing chess and hiking the Colorado Rockies. Dr. Hornyak lives with his wife Karen in Colorado Springs. “I have always loved Colorado and living in Colorado Springs is a blessing. I embrace the opportunities to share art with those I meet. Karen, my children, and I, feel Colorado is home. I hope that I can bring something of value to the fine communities I encounter here and elsewhere.”