Sometimes dreams come true, even sooner than expected. It took Mid City-native Matthew Howard just eight years, from the day he took his first percussion lesson, to win his role as Principal Percussionist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
In 2008, Howard started studying with a few different local percussionists, learning everything from jazz vibraphone to numerous handheld instruments. By his second year at the USC Thornton School of Music, Howard was a student of LA Phil Principal Timpanist Joseph Pereira. And in 2016, they became peers.
In the moment, Howard said he kept asking himself “What is happening?!”
“I’d be the first one to admit that there was luck involved,” he added, “but I was working my butt off! There are a lot of qualified people out there, so it must have been meant to be for this job and for me to come back and play in my hometown.”
Howard shares his LA pride and the most wonderful aspects of playing loud cymbals and big drums!
You’re coming up on your 10th season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic! What were some of the greatest moments of your tenure?
There are a lot of different ones: sharing the stage with pop artists, going on my first international tour to London and Paris, and, of course, my first time performing as a soloist.
But I think the one thing that sticks out to me is [Opening Night at the Bowl in 2022]. We did Catch Me If You Can with Branford Marsalis [and Eric Revis], which is literally just vibraphone, a bass player, and saxophone up at the front of the stage. It was really touching to not only be able to do that with Gustavo Dudamel conducting, but John Williams [who composed the music] came to all the rehearsals. We all took a picture together.
When you first got into music, what made you pick percussion?
I just wanted to tap on things! I’ve always had this inclination towards rhythm, and then I started feeding into it in middle school with some drum set playing. I was mainly self-taught through high school, and that’s when I started blossoming.
Do you have a favorite percussion instrument?
Everything…well, as a solo percussion instrument, I’d have to say snare drum. I love the musicality of it, the touch, the sounds—all that stuff is just really, really fun to me. It’s pretty normal for people to say either that or marimba, but I really enjoy playing snare drum.
In the orchestra, I’d have to go with cymbals. You play the most massive moments—like the huge Mahlerian crashes in Mahler 7—but also some of the softest, most delicate moments—like the end of [Richard Strauss’] Don Quixote. Two extremely touchy piatti notes end the piece. They’re so soft and need to be the exact right sound at the exact right time.
R. Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35: Theme
Which piece of music…
…makes you smile?
Tell Your Friends was probably the first legit Snarky Puppy album that I listened to on repeat for a while. I was absolutely obsessed.
…makes you cry?
The last movement of Mahler 9.
…gives you chills?
There are a lot of moments like that...every single week, but I might say the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, the Adagio.
Actually, I’ll take that back! Let’s go with the last moment of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. It really is a good one.
Having collaborated with countless musicians over the years, which artists stand out in your memory? Can you tell us about a heartfelt moment you shared with them?
There have been a couple. One was for a Green Umbrella program featuring Tehillim by Steve Reich. I actually got to work with Steve and, since then, have built a relationship with him, played his mallet quartets, and recorded the entire Runner album with Susanna Mälkki [and the LA Phil]. I absolutely love his music, and it’s super percussion focused. He’s just such a normal guy and picking his brain is really cool.
Another person to mention is Jacob Collier. Talk about a musical phenom, genius, and just all-around sweet human! We chatted and did a show with him at the Bowl. Seeing how big someone can be and realizing how much of a vast knowledge someone can have about music—while simply being normal and human—is very humbling and inspiring.
LA Phil Principal Timpanist Joseph Pereira composed a new percussion concerto for you. How did you work together on the piece, and what do you hope audiences will take away from it?
First things first, I requested that Joe compose it with my Japanese heritage in mind, only because Japanese music, in particular, is so hugely focused on drums—taikos, shime-daikos, cymbals, metals, woods. It’s very percussion focused and, in a way, it’s how I got my start as a musician.
The first time I played a drum was in 2003 in a community taiko group out in Culver City, so this is a really cool full-circle moment for me, not only to honor my heritage but to play in the same city where I grew up and got my start, now as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
What concerts are you most looking forward to during the 2024/25 season?
I love working with Esa-Pekka Salonen every time he comes. He’s so creative with his programming and musical ideas, and how he gets his orchestra to sound is jaw dropping. It’s very seldom that you get people that step on the podium that make the orchestra sound at a certain level.
Most are pretty good, but when conductors like Zubin, Gustavo, Esa-Pekka, and [others] that we really have rapport with step on that podium, you just hear everyone absolutely on their game in eagerness to sound good for that person. It’s really inspiring.
Looking ahead, we’re doing a tour in Asia and both those programs are going to be absolutely incredible: Mahler 2—talk about another “chills” piece! That last movement is just heavenly with the bells and the choir. [And Stravinsky’s] The Rite of Spring, of course, is where I just get to unleash on bass drums, so that’s always amazing for me. I get to play really loud cymbals and really big drums!
What’s one thing you would tell someone who is experiencing the LA Phil, or orchestral music in general, for the first time?
A lot of times, people get bogged down thinking they have to know so much about the details and the history of all these things. Just be in the moment, listen to the music, and see where it takes you.
It can be a little hard for people at the beginning, especially coming into certain pieces that are more long form, because we’re so used to this digital world of short videos. Release yourself from that world for a bit and just let yourself experience the music! It’s like reading a book in a way. You don’t know what to expect, but this is our way of helping you experience certain emotions, relive certain things, or picture a place that you’ve never been to.
Just be open and don’t worry too much about being too prepared. And feel free to clap in between movements, too. If you like it—perfect!
Music aside, what are your favorite things about LA?
Big question! First off, I’m a huge foodie, and we are so unbelievably spoiled here with the food scene. On top of that, the mix of people here is unlike any other place. I’ve been to so many other cities in this country, and nothing is quite like LA.
All of these different cultures collide and feed off each other. This is where everything is happening year-round.
And of course, the weather. I wish I could say the traffic, too, but that is not the case!