BAR HARBOR – A Hancock County native who reached the apex of classical music during his brief lifetime lives on as his fellow musicians share their gifts with the students of Mount Desert Island.

Mark Horner was raised in Bar Harbor, where he discovered the trombone as a young boy enthralled with the dark, brooding sound of John Williams’ “Star Wars” theme.

Horner grew to study with the Boston Youth Symphony orchestra and the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, then earned the role of principal trombonist with the San Antonio Symphony before his sudden death three years ago, at age 25.

“He had some huge aspirations,” said Dr. William Horner, Mark’s father. “As his parents, we felt that part of his legacy was to help kids aspire to excellence.”

So Horner joined with his son’s family and friends to found the Mark Woolman Horner Music Education Fund. The fund’s mission is to inspire local music students by providing access to professional musicians, he said.

“We’re looking for vehicles that bring music educational down to the level of young children,” he said.

Last March, the fund kicked off its efforts with a well-attended benefit concert in Bar Harbor performed by a quartet of Horner’s fellow trombonists, as well as a series of brass workshops that Juilliard musicians offered to local students.

Next month, performers from Juilliard will return to Maine, sponsored by the fund to spend a week teaching their craft to MDI students of all ages.

Nine artists have planned workshops at the island’s four elementary schools, as well as working closely with high school music, theater and dance students, said Brian McWhorter, who is coordinating the trip.

Several students will be invited to join the troupe for its two public performances of Stravinsky’s “A Soldier’s Tale” at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9, in the MDI High School’s Demas-Higgins Theater, and at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth. Ticket prices for the shows are $8 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.

The group will include: McWhorter (cornet), Justine Chen (violin), Mat Fieldes (bass), Michael Bepko (clarinet), Eric Holtje (bassoon), Lisa Albrecht (trombone), Aaron Trant (percussion), Alvin Crawford (acting) and Tobin Delcuore (dance).

McWhorter, who leads the Juilliard brass quintet that visited MDI last spring, said that the workshops were among the most rewarding musical experiences of his life.

“You work all your life to play music and to refine your skills,” he said. “It’s such a thrill to be able to share that with kids who just can’t contain their energy. That kind of purity is so refreshing and so exciting to be around – it made me want to go practice.”