Former Trumbull Band Director Remembered For Leadership, Love Of Music

TRUMBULL, CT — Among many remarkable qualities, Peter Horton will be remembered most by Trumbull Public Schools for his love of music and his skills as a leader.

Prior to his retirement, Horton served as the director of the award-winning Trumbull High School Golden Eagles Marching Band for over 30 years. News of his death was announced over the weekend on the marching band's Facebook page.

In a statement sent to Patch, Assistant Superintendent Sue Iwanicki said Thursday that Horton worked with hundreds of student musicians, color guard performers and drum majors to bring the acclaimed marching band national recognition.

"Over the years," Iwanicki said, "he led the Eagles to performances at highly prestigious Presidential inaugurations [in] 2001 and 2009, as well as televised parades such as the Hollywood Christmas Parade and Disney World street parades."

See also: Former Trumbull High Marching Band Director Mourned By Community

To many, Horton was a teacher whose love for music and his students echoed in the footsteps of his life.

"Not only was he a talented musician and teacher who shared his passion for music," Iwanicki said, "but he motivated them through the core principles of the Golden Eagle Marching Band: pride, attitude and concentration."

Iwanicki also noted Horton's work with students and leadership in organizations across the Northeast earned him a reputation for high-quality programming, both locally and nationally.

"On behalf of the Trumbull Board of Education, faculty, staff and students, we send our condolences and prayers to his family," Iwanicki said.

In a statement Monday, First Selectman Vicki Tesoro said Horton spent over three decades teaching music, a big part of which was spent running the successful marching band program.

"Many have commented on [Horton's] recognition of the potential in a student," Tesoro said in a statement, "noting his ability to bring out the best in each performer, belief in his mantra [of] pride, attitude and concentration, and how he shaped so many to become the musicians, teachers and adults they have become."

According to Tesoro, the high school's band marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997 and 2017 under Horton's direction, as well as the 2001 inaugural parade for George W. Bush and the 2009 parade for Barack Obama.

In 2019, Horton was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Musical Arts Conference, a nonprofit organization that promotes musical ensemble instruction and competition across Connecticut.