William Horne

William Horne (10 August 1913 – 19 April 1983) was an American operatic tenor who, after World War II, performed with the New York City Opera. He was born in Manhattan, New York. Career Around 1928, Horne was a member of the children's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera. He went on to study voice at the Curtis Institute of Music during the school years 1935–1936, 1936–1937, and 1937–1938. Selected career highlights, pre-World War II On June 30, 1937, Horne, accompanied by the Meyer Davis (1893–1976) Orchestra, sang "You Are the Reason for My Love Song" at the wedding of Ethel du Pont and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., a selection especially composed for the couple by Hilda Emery Davis (née Hodgkins; 1895–1995), wife of the band leader. The lyrics were by Sally Gibbs (1911–2006), daughter of author George Fort Gibbs. In 1939, Horne was one of four winners of the International Naumburg Competition. In 1942, he appeared on Broadway in Irving Berlin's revue This Is the Army. November 11, 1940, on the NBC Blue Network, Horne was one of four soloists – with Anne Brown (soprano), Winifred Heidt (1920–1995) (contralto), and Lawrence Whisonant (baritone) — in a live performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9; Leopold Stokowski conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra with the Westminster Choir. Service in the United States Army In 1942, Horne was inducted into the U.S. Army as a private and assigned to Company C at Camp Upton near Yaphank in Long Island.