Dorothy Howell (February 25, 1898 – January 12, 1982) was an English composer and pianist, who earned great acclaim during her lifetime.
Born in Birmingham, Howell was a student at the Royal Academy of Music when she was 15 years old. The work that led her towards fame was her symphonic poem Lamia, linked below, which was inspired by the Keats poem. Sir Henry Wood conducted the premiere performance of the work at The Proms in September of 1919. Wood returned to the piece at The Proms seven more times during his tenure as conductor, but it fell into obscurity after 1940. The work was revived at The Proms during the 2010 season.
It is said that Wood invited Howell to his conducting courses at the Royal Academy of Music, but Howell declined, instead becoming a teacher there, instead.
Howell served with the Women’s Land Army during World War II, and also taught at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire from 1950-1957. She retired from teaching at the Royal Academy of Music in 1970, but continued to maintain private students until her death, at age 83.