Music for young people
Howard Moody has developed a special interest in creative projects that bring the highest calibre of musicians to audiences that may never have such an experience of live music. Projects that aim to develop young people's imaginative ideas into dramatic, instrumental and vocal works have involved Howard as a composer and animateur for numerous organizations including the Sarum Orchestra, Theatre Royal Norwich and Create 2 Learn.
Howard has been artistic director/composer for projects that have collaborated with CMW, ENO, Albert Hall, The Globe, Glyndebourne, RSC, South Bank, Wigmore Hall, National Forest, BBC Concert Orchestra, Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Norwich, LSO, Sixty Minute Opera and Jesse's Fund.
Work at the Royal School for the Deaf in Margate gave Howard an opportunity to do therapeutic work with deaf children. He has since been invited to lecture on music work with deaf people as part of conferences by Cochlear Europe.
His position as Artistic Director of the Sarum Orchestra involves him increasingly in projects that involve the soloists and principal players of the orchestra alongside practitioners from many other artistic disciplines. He is particularly committed to adapting formal concerts into more informal events, without compromising the artistic content and delivery. Ongoing projects with the orchestra include collaborations with Emily Blows (singer), Colin Brown (actor), Ashley Ramsden (storyteller), Emma Payne (dancer), Ken Aiso (violinist), Giles Perring (drummer/composer), Melanie Pappenheim (singer), Sarah Homer (clarinet). He has also run a course with composer Alec Roth for teachers and other professionals called "Wordless Communication".
His work with Youth Orchestras has included five years as conductor of the annual IAPS and NISSO courses at the Snape Maltings.
Work with clarinettist Mark Withers has involved projects in Spain, including informal family concerts together with violinist Ken Aiso and artist Chris Glynn for La Caixa Foundation.
Recent projects have included the second performance of his oratorio "Songs of the Forest", alongside the premiere of John Surman's "Just Deserts" as part of a four year collaboration between Amery Hill School and the Sarum Orchestra.
On 2 June 2008, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra performed his new work for orchestra, voices and soundbeams, involving students from Ashcraig Special School, Glasgow.
Children's Music Workshop, Brady Centre, Tower Hamlets
I have unlimited praise for the pianist and music director Howard Moody, who not only accompanied extremely well, but after the 70-minute performance also involved the audience by asking them skilful questions, and got them on to the stage, where, helped by the singers, they took up the drama and re-enacted parts of it which had especially excited them.
Michael Tanner The Spectator, 4 February 2006
Shrieks and spontaneous applause greeted conductor Howard Moody at the start of the schools’ concert held in Salisbury’s City Hall last week. Nearly 700 children from primary schools in the area took part. “We spent the first 20 minutes of each workshop session just playing music and from there the children became part of the music, written both last year and 199 years ago,” said Mr Moody. “The response of the children has been amazing. The aims of the project are to stimulate inspiration and provide new experiences.”
Salisbury Journal, February 2003
