Howard Moody (Composer) 

Howard Moody is more a man of music than a man of words because he is not particularly fond of talking and, in particular, he is not particularly fond of talking about himself but, true to the English tradition, when it comes to words he always finds the right ones, even when the interviewer puts her foot in it by suggesting that pop music and contemporary music are basically the same thing, to which he answers reservedly:
“Perhaps [the difference is] a bit similar to grabbing a fast food burger whilst running to catch a train, and asking your local farmer to prepare a burger in his preferred way, and share it with him.”

But what also makes him a man of music is not only his ability to compose but also, and just as importantly, his capacity to work for the education of future listeners through contemporary music. As he says himself, “young people love anything new and unusual. New music, art and ideas give them so much permission to experiment themselves”

He’s not one of those composers who gets lost in the finer points of music philosophy: he attaches particular importance to striking a balance between working and family life.

Howard Moody comes from a long tradition of British composers committed to doing things in the educational field. However, Howard’s commitment to education goes beyond merely composing works of art; it reflects his profound belief that “music is there to be shared”.

He believes that composers try to communicate things through sound.

In his ideal world, schools would place arts at the centre of their activities. "Is there any other activity that can engage people on so many levels in a non-competitive way?”, he asks.

Howard is not your typical “didactic composer”. It’s not “Peter and the Wolf”, “the Magic Flute” and “the Nutcracker”. He does the difficult thing by taking neither the most obvious material nor the easiest path, as he show with, for example, “the Requiem”. But with “the Requiem” he manages, in an introspective, creative and positive manner, to involve his young audience in music.

A master class in music and life from a Quiet Man.