About

Dallas Joseph Howard is a composer, conductor, and collaborative artist. He was the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Fellow for Composition at Tanglewood Music Center. His music can be characterized by intricate contrapuntal textures, merging different styles seamlessly. Dallas is passionate about advocating for New Music and promoting the arts in his community: He was the creator of music festivals such as P21 Music Festival in Oklahoma City, Twister Fest Music and Art Festival in Chickasha, and helped organize the Ithaca College School of Music World Music Festival. 

Currently, Dallas is artistic director for un/pitched: New Music Network and works as Assistant Director for the Hear Now Music Festival, Producer/Composer/Music Editor/Music Supervisor at Pelican Films, Chief Strategy Officer at Polaris Hub Solutions, and consults/produces for AugmentForce: IT & Communication Solutions and USAToday.

Dallas’ formal music composition training began in high school with a focus in film music under the mentorship of Thom Sharp (UCLA), and concert music with Anthony Suter (Redlands University). After spending a year under the instruction of Don Freund at Indiana University, Dallas transferred to Oklahoma City University to study composition with Dr. Edward Knight. Since finishing his Masters at Ithaca College under the instruction of Dr. Evis Sammoutis, Over the years Dallas has studied with a variety of composers including Augusta Read Thomas, Chinary Ung, Libby Larsen, Derek Bermel, David Dzubay, Joan Tower, Osvaldo Golijov, George Lewis, Bob Aldridge, Michael Gandolfi, Greg Simon, and Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann.

Recent performance highlights include select international artists such as virtuoso violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved, clarinetist Lori Freedman, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Tanglewood Music Festival Fellows, GReCO Renaissance and Contemporary Music Group, workshop performance from the Switch-Ensemble, U.S Air Force Academy Band's Rockies Clarinet Quartet, workshop with Trinity LaBon Graduate Percussion Trio and commissioned works by EASTHAMA: International Percussion Duo. One of Dallas’ most recent projects includes the creation of an amplified musical shopping cart for the Ithaca College Percussion Trio which premiered “How 2 Shopping Cart” at local bars in Ithaca, NY, and Cornell University, an engaging event within the community with presenting music in unconventional spaces. 

Dallas was awarded the Louis Smadbeck Composition Award (2018), the Maddy Summer Artist Award (2010), as well as the Project21: Music for the Twenty-First Century Composition Prize (2011). His past composition fellowships include Tanglewood Music Center (2018), Brevard Music Center Summer Institute (2017), and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Fellowship (2011). 

In 2019, Dallas finished showcasing their new un/pitched: Metamorphosis project with Marimba One Artist Lindsey Eastham on a National tour to promote new music, collaboration, and project building to young performers/composers. Giving lessons, masterclasses, and presentations to undergraduate and graduate students at Ithaca College (NY), Cornell (NY), Oklahoma City University (OK), Southern Utah University (UT), California State University Northridge (CA), Redlands University (CA), and Santa Monica College (CA), with an additional week residency at Redlands University in the Spring of 2020. In 2021, Dallas spearheaded the Hear Now Music Festival’s “Virtues of the Virtual” which showcased 27 recently recorded chamber works for free on youtube. Dallas graduated with his Doctorate in Music Composition from Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in May of 2024.