'Mozart from Mozzarella'

In a small Vienna coffee shop, Hal Howland ('73) leads his jazz group, the Howland Ensemble, in a rollicking set. The venue, Jammin Java, features mostly Christian and family-oriented acts, and is only one of the many places Howland has performed in his prolific career. Howland, the National Chamber Orchestra timpanist since 1984, was recently named the orchestra's development assistant. His new duties include grant writing, fund raising and volunteer organization for the world-famous orchestra.

The extra duties may seem overwhelming for many musicians, but Howland welcomes the challenge. His "extra-curricular" activities read novel-length on his resumè. He began teaching privately after graduation and earned his master's in music history at Catholic University in 1976. He published his thesis, History of the Vibraphone, in the summer and fall (1976) issues of The Percussionist, and the paper (one of dozens he has published) has become a top resource on vibraphone history in the music industry. He opened his own studio in Vienna in 1980 and formed his jazz group in 1981. The group has released two successful albums, including the self-titled Howland Ensemble and Reiko. Howland won a 1988 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Fellowship and has two books in progress, The Human Drummer: Thoughts on the Life Percussive and Orpheus in Israel.

"When I arrived at JMU, I had a good ear and fair hands and probably could have gone straight to Los Angeles and made perfectly respectable pop records," says Howland. "But I wouldn't have known Mozart from mozzarella. That was unacceptable in 1969 and even more so today. With Professor Ben Wright's encouragement, I first began playing orchestral timpani. And, jazzwise, I owe a great debt to George West. I played in his jazz ensemble for three years."

Howland says he always knew he would pursue a music career. "I began as a piano student, but I picked up the drums during a break and never went back. I've played the drums since I was 12; it's a deeply spiritual and sensual instrument."

Raised in a Foreign Service family, Howland credits his eclectic musical tastes to early exposure to a variety of music. His musical influences range from Gregorian chants to Fats Domino and every kind of music in between. He says, "What I enjoy most about my career is the freedom to be creative."

Story by Anna Lucas ('00)