Jason Howland
Encyclopedia
Jason Howland is a musical theatre composer, playwright, conductor, music director, and producer. His most notable work has been writing the music for the Broadway musical Little Women
.
, Massachusetts
, and grew up in Willaimstown
, Massachusetts (which Little Women
is set in New England). He attended Berkshire Ensemble for the Theatre Arts when he was a teenager (a camp where you write musicals).
While at Williams College
, he was called to be an intern on the 1992 Vivian Matalon workshop of Jekyll & Hyde
and worked his way up, becoming friendly with both composer Frank Wildhorn
and arranger James Raitt, and eventually became the music director and conductor of the 1997 Broadway production.
In 2002, Howland wrote a play with Larry Pellegrini called Blessing in Disguise and it premiered Off-Broadway.
His assorted credits include music supervisor for The Scarlet Pimpernel
and The Civil War
, music director of Les Misérables
, music director of Taboo
, and supervising music director/incidental & dance music arrangements/vocal music arrangements of Wonderland. He also produced The Lonesome West
with Davis.
He was the producer of Little Women
with (his now wife) Dani Davis. The original songwriters were released, and Howland stepped down from producing to write the music with lyrics by Mindi Dickstein with a book by Allan Knee
.
He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
, The Florida Orchestra
, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
, Maine State Symphony, and Memphis Symphony Orchestra
. He also has conducted for Ray Charles
, Natalie Cole
, Brandy
, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Carl Anderson
, Linda Eder
, Sebastian Bach
, David Hasselhoff
, Rob Evan
, Kate Shindle, Lauren Kennedy
, Davis Gaines
, the Kingston Trio
, and Lizz Wright
.
His other works include writing the score for Handel’s Messiah Rocks: A Joyful Noise and writing the score for the webisode series The Broadroom.
He also was working on two new musicals, Mariel and Quickstep.
Little Women (musical)
Little Women is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland.Based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and...
.
Biography
Howland was born in ConcordConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and grew up in Willaimstown
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts (which Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
is set in New England). He attended Berkshire Ensemble for the Theatre Arts when he was a teenager (a camp where you write musicals).
While at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, he was called to be an intern on the 1992 Vivian Matalon workshop of Jekyll & Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...
and worked his way up, becoming friendly with both composer Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
and arranger James Raitt, and eventually became the music director and conductor of the 1997 Broadway production.
In 2002, Howland wrote a play with Larry Pellegrini called Blessing in Disguise and it premiered Off-Broadway.
His assorted credits include music supervisor for The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...
and The Civil War
The Civil War (musical)
The Civil War is a musical written by Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and music by Wildhorn. The musical centers on the American Civil War, with the musical numbers portraying the war through Union, Confederate, and slave viewpoints. The musical was nominated for a Tony...
, music director of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, music director of Taboo
Taboo (musical)
Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost....
, and supervising music director/incidental & dance music arrangements/vocal music arrangements of Wonderland. He also produced The Lonesome West
The Lonesome West
The Lonesome West is a play by contemporary Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, part of his Connemara trilogy, which includes The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara...
with Davis.
He was the producer of Little Women
Little Women (musical)
Little Women is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland.Based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and...
with (his now wife) Dani Davis. The original songwriters were released, and Howland stepped down from producing to write the music with lyrics by Mindi Dickstein with a book by Allan Knee
Allan Knee
-Stage:*Little Women *The Man Who was Peter Pan -Stage:*Little Women (Broadway musical) (2005)*The Man Who was Peter Pan -Stage:*Little Women (Broadway musical) (2005)*The Man Who was Peter Pan (42nd Street Workshop 'Off-Broadway. (March 1998)*Late Nite Comic (Broadway) (1987)-Film/TV:*Esther's...
.
He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001...
, The Florida Orchestra
The Florida Orchestra
The Florida Orchestra is a performing arts company located in Tampa Bay, Florida. It is one of the leading professional symphony orchestras in Florida, and one of the best regional orchestras in America....
, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra located in the state of New Jersey, United States. Philip James founded the orchestra in 1922. The orchestra is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. Neeme Järvi, the NJSO's music director from 2005 to 2009, is currently the orchestra's...
, Maine State Symphony, and Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
-History:The Memphis Symphony Orchestra was established in its present form in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Memphis Sinfonietta, a chamber group formed eight years earlier under the direction of cellist Vincent DeFrank, with support from the Memphis Orchestral Society and the Memphis Arts...
. He also has conducted for Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, Brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Carl Anderson
Carl Anderson
Carl Anderson may refer to:*Carl Anderson , American college football coach*Carl Anderson , American art director*Carl Anderson , North Dakota State Treasurer...
, Linda Eder
Linda Eder
Linda Eder is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical...
, Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
, David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
, Rob Evan
Rob Evan
Rob Evan is a singer and actor, best known as a lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on several music albums.-Personal:...
, Kate Shindle, Lauren Kennedy
Lauren Kennedy
Lauren Kennedy is an actress and a singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She most recently starred in the Off-Broadway show Good Ol' Girls at the Black Box Theatre during the 2009-2010 season...
, Davis Gaines
Davis Gaines
Davis Gaines is a stage actor.He has performed as the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera more than 2000 times, on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco. In the latter location, he won the Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor. He performed in the roll for...
, the Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, and Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright is an American jazz/R&B singer and composer.Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia; one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of their Church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child,...
.
His other works include writing the score for Handel’s Messiah Rocks: A Joyful Noise and writing the score for the webisode series The Broadroom.
He also was working on two new musicals, Mariel and Quickstep.