Hello everyone. I just learned that the release date of my American Bach Soloists CD has officially been pushed back to April of 2009. *sighs* These things always take five times longer to assemble than you'd hope!

I'll keep everyone posted as the process moves forward. The best way to keep informed is through my e-mailing list (no spam, and at most one email per month) you can sign up here.

I intend to offer a pre-release pre-order deal, so keep your interweb eyes peeled.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my technique teacher, Lynne Vardaman. She died in her New York apartment early last week.
The effect that she had upon my voice cannot be underestimated. I would not the the singer, teacher, thinker, or person that I am had it not been for my three years of private study with Lynne.

She was not always peaceful in her life; I hope that she has found peace in her death.

I am pleased to annouce my 2008-09 season.
I will make debuts with several groups, including:

The Vancouver Chamber Choir (Chichester Psalms),
The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia (B-Minor Mass), and
The Staunton Music Festival (Theodora).

I return to sing with:

The Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas Fifth Ave (Messiah),
The Princeton Glee Club (B-minor),
and one of my favorite groups, The American Bach soloists (Messiah, Pergolesi Stabat Mater & Handel Italian Duets with soprano Mary Wilson).

I also launch my first tour with the Baroque ensemble Tableau in February-March of 2009.

And don't forget, my CD with the American Bach Soloists (see story below) will be released in December! Check back for more info, or join my mailing list to receive a notice.

Iconic composers are not born great; they are the synthesis of everything they have heard, learned, and experienced and their music is a reflection of their world as they knew it. Thus it was for George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), a composer best known for the Italian Operas and English Oratorios that comprised the bulk of his mature output. But what about young Handel? What music would have been playing in the courts and chapels of his youth? What about the music of his teachers? What innovations did Handel borrow, and what new musical ideas did he unleash upon the world?

Join me and Tableau Baroque in the Spring of 2009 for a concert exploring the sonic landscape of Handel's formative years.  

We are proud to launch a new website promoting these concerts.

I joined conductor Jeffrey Thomas and The American Bach Soloists April 23rd-26th to record a CD of beautiful baroque music. Repertory includes: Bach's Cantata 170 Vergnügte Ruh, Domenico Scarlatti's Cantata Salve Regina, and Handel opera and oratorio arias from Saul (O Lord whose mercies numberless), Giulio Cesare (Al lampo dell'armi), Orlando (Fammi combattere & Orlando's Mad Scene), Rinaldo (Cara sposa), and Serse (Ombra mai fu). We are planning on a December release. The CD, "1685 and the Art of Ian Howell," will be available for purchase online and in stores, and available for download from iTunes and Magnamusic. Stay tuned for more information.

I was interviewed on-air April 21st by Jeffrey Callison for KXJZ (Sacramento, CA) Capital Public Radio's program Insight.
Click here to listen to my portion of the program.

Insight's website…

I premiered a set of three songs written by Argentinian born composer Pablo Ortiz during a concert at UC Davis in Davis, CA. Russ Irwin commissioned these pieces for me to texts by the Mexican poet Rosario Castellanos. Listen to a live recording of the second movement, Elegia, by clicking here.

In anticipation of my debut with the American Bach Soloists, I was interviewed for an article in the Marin Independent Journal (Marin County, CA).

Read the article…

I was mentioned in The Oregonian in a review of my February 17th performance with the Portland Baroque Orchestra

My recital program Beginner's Ear was previewed in a full page article in the New Haven Advocate, written by Daniel Stephen Johnson.

Read the article…

I stepped in for an indisposed David Walker to sing three performances of Messiah in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. Kent Tritle conducted the first performance (12/18/07) with The Oratorio Society of New York and the following two performances (12/19, 21/07) with Music Sacra.