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Gianna Horak / Courtesy of Lee Salem Photography

A Young Singer’s Olympic-Sized Adventure: Part One

She was adopted from China as an infant—tiny, beautiful, and, her doctors feared, possibly deaf. Today Gianna Horak, a skilled pianist, composer, and singer with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus prepares for the journey of her young life—a chorus tour to the country of her birth.

Kelsey Menehan

The Olympic Games always bring forth moving stories of athletes overcoming great odds to participate in this grand quadrennial event. This year there's another "Olympic" story, just as inspiring, not about an athlete, but about a 14-year-old singer named Gianna Horak. Gianna began her life in an orphanage in China, and later this June she will return to country of her birth for the first time since she was an infant.

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2 Responses to "A Young Singer’s Olympic-Sized Adventure: Part One"

robin says "Let's hear from Gianna at the orphanage"

Jul 10, 4:07PM

This is an inspiring story about finding the gift in each child. I hope Gianna will have a chance to spend time with the babies at the orphanage--please ask her to post some photos and comments after she returns.

csdavis says "incredible"

Jun 26, 4:34PM

What an amazing story. My favorite part about this article is the ending quote about Gianna's chorus being her community--we have seen time and time again the truth of that statement, and this is just another example of how valuable singing in a group can be.

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