A native of Dayton, Ohio, pianist Howard Watkins regularly performs with the world’s leading musicians, both in concert and as an assistant conductor at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. He has performed throughout America, Europe, Asia, Russia, and Israel, including with Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee, Diana Damrau, Thomas Hampson, Kathleen Battle, Grace Bumbry, Mariusz Kwiecien, Anna Netrebko, and Matthew Polenzani in venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Spivey Hall, the Kennedy Center, the U. S. Supreme Court, Alice Tully Hall, the three stages of Carnegie Hall, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater.
He has taught at the Juilliard School, Bard College Conservatory of Music, Merola Opera Program, Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, Yale School of Music as Visiting Presidential Fellow, Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Mannes School of Music, International Vocal Arts Institute (Israel, Japan and China), IIVA in Italy, Brancaleoni Music Festival in Piobbico, Italy, Tokyo International Vocal Arts Academy (TIVAA) as a founding member and VOICExperience in Orlando, Tampa and Savannah.
Howard holds a doctorate in accompaniment and chamber music from the University of Michigan. He is the recipient of the University of Michigan’s Paul C. Boylan Award for contributions to the field of music, the University of Dayton National Alumni Association’s Special Achievement Award, and the 2019 recipient of the National Opera Association’s Lift Every Voice Legacy Award.