Jon F. Howe (he/they/any) (b. 1997) is an asexual multi-disciplinary composer, hornist, and music technologist based in Rhode Island. Jon F. Howe's practice exists at the intersection of synthesis, Irish mythology, folksong, improvisation, and the queer identity to create music with lush harmonies and lyrical melodies. Interweaving moments of tonality with post tonality, Jon’s music fluidly shifts across various styles of music. A composer of concert music and media alike, Jon’s music can be heard in the audiobook adaptation of Legend of a Heartland Slayer, the original soundtrack for the upcoming video game, Bullets and Ballgowns, and at Mystified Escape Rooms (Mystic, CT) where they composed the soundscape for the escape room The Mystic’s Ritual. Across all mediums, Jon's music explores the interplay of identity, rhythm, timbre, texture, and melody.

 

Jon’s music has been featured at numerous concerts and festivals across the United States, including: the Garden State Singers New Music Concert Series, Uncertainty of Fate Festival, and the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conference as well as the Bushnell Performing Arts Center (Hartford, CT), and the New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain, CT). Jon’s works have been performed and written for various ensembles and soloists across the country, including: The American Band, the Dalí Quartet, Hub New Music, the Garden State Singers, Kate Warren, and Nathalie Joachim.

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Jon recently premiered their first cantata, The Tale of Cú Chulainn, for amplified Mezzo-Soprano and Wind Ensemble with The American Band on April 16, 2026. Working alongside librettist Elisedd Knapp-McGinley, soloist Isobel McCullough, and conductor Dr. Brian Cardany to bring the adaptation of the Irish legend to life. 

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In addition to their career as a composer, Jon maintains an active career as a performer. Jon is a specialist in electro-acoustic works for the horn and electronics. As an advocate for the works of other living composers, Jon is currently planning a recital and album for the horn and electronics; featuring works both written by themself and other living composers. Jon also collaborates alongside educators, encouraging young musicians to explore composition and improvisation as part of the foundation of their musical practices.

 

In 2021, Jon received the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Grant where he arranged pieces for asynchronous ensembles and created accompanying lesson plans to the pieces he arranged. He was also a 2019 Recipient of the University of Rhode Island College of Arts and Sciences Fellowship where he composed the orchestral work Dullahan’s Ride. Other awards include talent scholarships from both the University of Rhode Island and The Hartt School as well as the Studio D Electronic Music Fellowship from The Hartt School.

Jon holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition with a Graduate Minor in History with a focus in Pedagogy from The Hartt School, where he also obtained his Master of Music in Composition, and a Bachelor of Music in Composition degree from the University of Rhode Island. His major composition teachers include Eliane Aberdam, Daron Hagen, Anthony R. Green, Kyle Grimm, Gilda Lyons, Tawnie Olson, and Kirsten Volness. Jon has studied horn with Cathryn Cummings, Barbara Hill, Elizabeth Gates, and Jaime Thorne.