Erika Howard is from Hamilton, Ohio and now lives as a freelance trumpet player in the greater Kentucky area and frequently performs with professional orchestras in the region. She is the 4th/utility trumpet in the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, 3rd trumpet in the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of Chamber Winds Louisville. Erika frequently performs with the Louisville Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, and various other regional ensembles. She earned a Bachelors of Music in Education from Ohio University in 2010 and a Masters in Trumpet Performance from the University of Louisville in 2014. Her teachers include Alan Siebert, John Schlabach and Michael Tunnell. She was a semi-finalist at the National Trumpet Competition in the graduate division as a soloist in 2013.
Erika is the trumpet professor at Indiana University Southeast. She also teaches trumpet and horn at middle and high schools in the greater Louisville area. Many of her students have experienced success in State and National competitions. Her trumpet and horn students frequently place in the top chairs in the Kentucky all-state band. She has coached two chamber ensembles that were selected to perform at the KMEA State conference, The Oldham County High School Trumpet Ensemble and the OCHS Brass Choir.
When not performing and teaching, Erika operates a sewing business with her husband, bassist David Messina. Their company, Messina Covers, makes custom musical instrument cases. Erika is also an avid bicycle racer, rock climber, and ball python breeder.