JazzFest History
Thom Horning
Awarded: 2017
Born: Cleveland, Ohio
"I always believed that the
at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ JazzFest can change people’s lives."
- Thom Horning
When Thom Horning came to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as an instructor in 1975, there were no jazz courses in the curriculum.
Convinced of the importance of jazz in American culture, Thom believed that at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was an institution that could have a significant impact in raising the level of awareness and appreciation for jazz in Northeast Ohio. The College administration supported his idea of creating jazz courses, and in 1979 they began to discuss the possibility of a jazz festival.
Under Thom’s direction, the first at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ JazzFest took place May 16, 1980. It soon became known as America’s Premier Educational Jazz Festival.
