Born in Western Canada, Brad Howland took up trombone, trumpet, piano and drums early on and quickly fell in love with music, playing in various bands and joining the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra as a founding member.

After high school Brad decided on a career in music and entered the University of Victoria on trombone. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Gordon Cherry of the Vancouver Symphony, then went on to a Master of Music degree at Northwestern University, studying with Frank Crisafulli of the Chicago Symphony. He received a Canada Council Grant for private study with Mark Lawrence of the San Francisco Symphony, attended the Aspen, Banff, and Waterloo Music Festivals, and performed for three years in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada where he studied with Richard Erb, then Bass Trombonist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Brad won the audition for Principal Trombone of the Victoria Symphony in 1989 and held the position for 35 years before retiring in 2024. During that time Brad performed the Albrechtsberger Concerto for Alto Trombone  with the symphony, had a recital performance broadcast on the CBC Radio show Westcoast Performance, was a member of the Beacon Hill Brass on both trombone and euphonium, and performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, new music group Aventa Ensemble, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, and Palm Court Orchestra.

In 2025 Brad accepted a trombone/euphonium teaching position at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. In previous years he has taught trombone and/or low brass at the University of Victoria, Comox Valley Youth Music Centre, and Marrowstone Music Festival.

Brad studied music theory with Canadian composers Michael Longton and Elliot Weisgarber, and jazz arranging with Don Owens, former Director of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University. He has been an avid arranger of music for brass instruments for over 45 years. Brad began composing original music in 2020, and is fortunate to have had some pieces performed by local groups and orchestras. He is a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).