David Howard

David Howard serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Winds & Percussion at the University of Southern California, specializing in clarinet performance. A longstanding member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1981, he performs across orchestral, solo, and new music repertoire.

His educational background includes:

• B.A. in Russian Literature, magna cum laude, Yale University (1977)

Howard's expertise centers on contemporary clarinet performance and 20th/21st-century orchestral works, demonstrated through landmark recordings of Bernstein, Xenakis, Salonen, and Ustvolskaya. The Los Angeles Times describes his playing as "superbly controlled, ethereal" with "creamy, ethereal lyricism and nonchalant virtuosity."

As an educator, he conducts masterclasses globally including:

• Tel Aviv, Vancouver, Helsinki
• Beijing, Stockholm
• Caracas (with El Sistema)

His discography features:

• Capriccio: Mid-century Music for Clarinet (Centaur Records) with Bernstein, Hindemith, and Lutoslawski
• Yarlung Records album featuring Salonen, Stucky, Ustvolskaya, and Brahms
• Editor of "Advice from a Caterpillar" (Boosey & Hawkes) from Chin's Alice in Wonderland

Howard is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren artist, performing on R13 clarinets with Vandoren mouthpieces across Bb, A, bass, and Eb instruments.