David Howard

David Howard, a clarinetist and bass clarinetist, joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1981 at age 25, hired by music director Carlo Maria Giulini. Before this, he was the principal clarinetist with the New Jersey Symphony and the New Haven Symphony. His extensive orchestral experience includes performances with the San Diego Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival.

Howard’s chamber music repertoire is wide-ranging, featuring performances with ensembles in pieces like Mozart's C Minor Serenade conducted by Christopher Hogwood, Stravinsky’s L’histoire du Soldat under Simon Rattle, and Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire conducted by Pierre Boulez. During the 2012-2013 season, he took on the role of Acting Associate Principal Clarinet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Howard has performed across the U.S. and Europe, including at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Edinburgh Music Festival, and Bahnhof Rolandseck Festival in Bonn. His festival appearances span locations such as Vancouver, Beijing, and Tel Aviv, often in collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society.

Howard has played significant roles in contemporary music, including as soloist in John Harbison’s Concerto for Oboe, Clarinet, and Strings and Iannis Xenakis’ Échange with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group. He has worked with renowned composers like John Adams, Thomas Adès, Pierre Boulez, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and in 2015, he performed as the Caterpillar in Unsuk Chin's opera Alice in Wonderland.

His recording credits with the Los Angeles Philharmonic are extensive, covering all clarinet section roles. Notable recordings include La Mer as principal clarinet, Symphonie Fantastique on Eb clarinet, and Salonen’s LA Variations on contrabass clarinet. Howard has also recorded chamber music with Southwest Chamber Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.

Howard’s album Capriccio: Mid-century Music for Clarinet features works by Bernstein, Hindemith, and Lutosławski, while his recordings with Philharmonic colleagues on the Yarlung label include music by Salonen, Stucky, Ustvolskaya, and Brahms. These recordings are available in high-resolution formats through Linn Records and HDtracks.

A Los Angeles native, Howard holds a B.A. in Russian Literature from Yale University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He studied under Mitchell Lurie and Leon Russianoff, with additional training from oboist Robert Bloom and soprano Phyllis Curtin during his time at Yale.

Since 1986, Howard has been on the faculty at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, where he serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Clarinet and Director of the Department of Winds and Percussion Chamber Music.