About

Micah Howard enjoys an enriching career as both a performer and a teacher. He joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1996 at the age of 25. As a Pittsburgh Symphony member, he has toured five continents, including Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and North America. Mr. Howard regularly performs as a recitalist and chamber musician. He has also been featured as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Howard has always been active as a music educator. His students are members of major symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the Comic Opera of Berlin, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Macau Symphony Orchestra, and many more. Many of his students also perform as substitutes with orchestras like the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. And many of his students are regular members of regional orchestras across the United States of America. He taught string bass as adjunct faculty at the Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University from 2000 to 2006, and Duquesne University from 2006 to 2014. Mr. Howard currently serves as Assistant Teaching Professor of Double Bass at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2010 Mr. Howard received the award for Outstanding String Teacher from the Pennsylvania-Delaware String Teachers Association for his outstanding achievement as a string teacher and his contributions to the string profession. Mr. Howard also served on the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra for many years.

As a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mr. Howard has served on several committees. He was most notably a member of the core audition committee for five years, serving as chair for two of those years. While on this committee, he played a role in hiring more than twenty full-time and substitute members of the orchestra. He was also involved in creating a new process instituted in 2005 to hire new musicians. He has also served as a member of the Orchestra and Artistic Committees.

Mr. Howard is also very active as a member of the double bass community. He has organized several double bass symposiums in Youngstown, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These symposiums bring together prominent bassists from around the country to perform recitals, serve as lecturers, and give masterclasses. He has also served as a contributing writer for Bass World Magazine.

Mr. Howard received his Bachelor of Music degree from Youngstown State University and his Masters of Music degree from Duquesne University School of Music. His teachers include Tony Leonardi, Rodney Van Sickle, Edward Pales, Peter Paul Adamiac, and Jeffrey Turner. In 1995 he took first place in the International Society of Bassists Orchestral Competition.