Personnel Bio
MU1 Christopher Howard
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Musician 1st Class Christopher Howard joined the Coast Guard Band in July 2006 as a member of the Band’s clarinet section. Since joining the ensemble, MU1 Howard has twice performed as a concerto soloist and has served in every conceivable role within the clarinet section. As a member of the Coast Guard Band Clarinet Quartet, he has appeared in performances at New York City’s Weill Recital Hall, the Potsdam Single Reed conference and multiple International Clarinet Association Conventions. As a conductor, he is a two-year participant in the Coast Guard Band Conducting and Leadership Program, and has led Coast Guard Band musicians in multiple chamber and full band performances. Before his tenure with the Coast Guard Band, MU1 Howard served as principal clarinetist and concertmaster with the U.S. Navy Band Northwest in Seattle, WA, principal clarinetist of the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra in Bremerton, WA, and second and solo E-flat clarinetist with the Tallahassee Symphony in Tallahassee, FL. MU1 Howard received the 2015 Sam Hasty Award for Service in the Coast Guard Band, and the 2012 Finley R. Hamilton Outstanding Military Musician Award. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from The Florida State University, and lives in Glastonbury, CT with his wife, Kacey, and children Benjamin and Caroline.