Graduating Contemporary Music Program major Elise Stoffer will be holding her April 24 senior recital in the atrium just outside O’Shaughnessy. “Because I like the acoustics in there,” Stoffer says.

Maria Siino sits on the couch at the end of the main hall of Benildus, the combination Contemporary Music/Creative Writing building. Her pixie cut and devil-may-care style scream punk and so does her electric guitar. This senior CMP student is graduating in December, but the few months she has left to get ready for the big day are nothing compared to the more than 15 years of practice she’s been putting in with her music.

When Contemporary Music Major Saqeef Ali performed for his SFUAD audition, he did so as a singer. However, after taking his first recording techniques class, he began to discover a new passion: one he would never have seen himself enjoying before he came to SFUAD.

In an office hidden in the twists and turns of Benildus, the walls are covered with posters, awards and articles. They include an autographed poster of Whitney Houston, a Gold Record commemorating a million copies sold by Regina Belle and several promotional posters of performances from around the globe. It takes a while to notice, but every single one is addressed to or features Horace Young, the new chairman of the Contemporary Music Program. “My parents weren’t musicians but they believed it was essential, they knew its worth,” Young says about his beginnings. “My two elder sisters played the piano so I got to take classes too. I cheated at practicing. I memorized the melody from the way my sisters played and watched the way their fingers moved on the keys. I didn’t know it then but this was a clear sign of having a high aptitude. Now I am able to tell a kid to get involved in music because I can see the signs I experienced myself.” Young had different plans for his future, though, hoping to become a sports journalist as a springboard into writing. He ended up playing the saxophone on a whim and turning it into a career. This return to music led him to collaborate with numerous acclaimed artists such as B.B. King and Nancy Williams. In 1993 he conducted the National Symphony of South Africa; the first person of African descent to do so. “I started as an adult musician not being able to read music,” Young says. “I learned to celebrate my limitations in being able to overcome them.” His role conducting the National Symphony of South Africa was broadcasted on national television. As a teacher, Young encourages the exploration of various skills and jobs in the...