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‘SOME OF THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE!’
Composer Dani Howard on her time at Royal College of Music.
Have you ever wondered about the impact one choice has made on your life? When Dani Howard wrote The Butterfly Effect about her time at the Royal College of Music, she was reflecting on just that – how a single decision can send out ripples that have a seismic impact. Upbeat found out more.
At the age of only 31, Dani Howard has already established an international career as a composer. She specialises in orchestral works, including The Butterfly Effect, performed by the RCM Symphony Orchestra in summer 2024 as part of Professor Colin Lawson’s farewell concert. Dani’s choice to leave Hong Kong, where she grew up, and study at the Royal College of Music, set in motion a number of transformative experiences – including her relationship with the Creative Careers Centre.
I’m really grateful for the Creative Careers Centre. It’s the jigsaw piece that’s missing otherwise; it’s the bit that allows you to find work and make a career
Dani recalls her time at the RCM: ‘They were some of the best years of my life. I’d never studied composition before and didn’t feel I knew how to compose, so the first year was a rollercoaster. But it was amazing to be around music all the time.’ Of studying with Professor Jonathan Cole, Dani says, ‘my lessons were phenomenal. He’s philosophical and so wise; he really gets you thinking. I also realised early on that we didn’t like the same music!’ But through listening to an array of works, Dani found confidence in her own tastes and choices.
Alongside this space to develop came some bracing advice. ‘I would overthink and sweat the small stuff – most composers do. I was taking so long to do so little! One of the best things he ever told me is, “stop treating this like you’re writing a masterpiece.” In other words, get over it and write it – and then write more. He was so right – I’ve grown so much since then that in my published catalogue I’ve included just one piece from my time in College.’
This has instilled in Dani an awareness that her style will continue to evolve, a philosophy reinforced by another RCM composer who inspired her, the late Joseph Horovitz – dedicatee of The Butterfly Effect. On one occasion, Dani found him in the College Library, aged 92, and asked him what brought him there. His reply: ‘I’m here to learn.’ Dani describes composers as ‘sponges’, absorbing musical stimuli, and she approached her time at the College in this spirit. ‘I’d look through the Events Guide and plan what to go to. I made it my mission to attend a masterclass of every single instrument or voice, and I did. I learned so much.’
This practicality is central to Dani’s approach. She wrote and still writes pieces for friends, and used the Creative Careers Centre (CCC) composers’ noticeboard for inspiration: if a competition appealed, she would write for it and enter. She also worked part-time at the Centre, where she saw its impact first hand. ‘Get to know Diana Roberts and the team – once they know you’re interested in something, they can put opportunities your way.’
Dani received her first paid commissions through the CCC: the Sensing Spaces exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art, and work for the Independent Society of Musicians. ‘I couldn’t get over the fact that I was getting paid to write music – it blew my mind!’ Other RCM friendships also bore fruit: ‘Because I was proactive within the Percussion Faculty, I received a commission from a BBC Young Musician of the Year soloist – he wanted to play a premiere in the semi-finals. I had several paid commissions by the time I left.’
Dani worked as a nanny while building up her composing career, and recommends composers keep an open mind about supporting themselves. Alongside an increasing stream of commissions, the Creative Careers Centre sent her work as a copyist because she’d ‘really enjoyed the engraving module’ with Eric Wilson (now retired).
Eventually, composition outweighed other work. ‘My first big moment was working with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I won a competition with Classic FM and they commissioned a concert opener, Argentum – it’s still played now!’ Other highlights include her National Youth Orchestra residency, encompassing a commission for the BBC Proms 2024 for 260 young musicians – she encouraged them to suggest ideas to include in the score – and her Trombone Concerto, which won the Royal Philharmonic Society Award.
What’s next? ‘My number one life goal bucket list piece is about to happen: writing a cello concerto for my former cello teacher in the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the orchestra I grew up listening to. It’s a dream.’ Amid all this success, Dani never loses sight of where it all started – and the importance of the Creative Careers Centre. ‘It’s the jigsaw piece that’s missing otherwise; it’s the bit that allows you to find work and make a career. I’m really grateful for the Creative Careers Centre.’
Joanna Wyld RCM Publications & Content Officer
The Creative Careers Centre Turns 25
The Royal College of Music remains grateful to the late Paul Woodhouse and benefactor Peter Willan for the generous gift and support which enabled the department to begin its mission. A series of 25 events took place throughout the 2024/25 academic year to mark 25 years of the Creative Careers Centre. Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/creativecareers
