mirrors that of legendary Alfredo Kraus, he began to focus on the Rossini roles written for Andrea Nozzari, including the title role of Otello and that of Rodrigo in La donna del lago. Such roles have allowed Howe to make use of a remarkably pleasing sustained high D and Db, a rarity for tenors, which until this time were never called upon in performance. Critical reception For a singer who approached the career of opera in a non traditional way and then with such a varied repertoire, Howe has been embraced by audiences and has been a consistent favorite of the media, who have praised him at every opportunity. Common themes throughout the years have focused not only on the beauty and elegance of his singing, but on his acting and interpretive skills, a somewhat rare combination in the operatic world. This led to his being featured in countless magazine and newspaper articles, as well as innumerable radio and television interviews and performances, resulting in a somewhat larger notoriety than usually afforded opera singers in Canada. For example, on September 14, 2000, Howe was a crossword clue in one of Canada's national newspapers, the National Post. As Number 47 Across, the clue was "Canadian tenor Howe" and the answer "Stuart". Awards Howe was also the recipient of several prestigious career development grants and awards from various organizations including The Canada Council for the Arts and the New Brunswick Arts Council. He was a 2001 Dora Award nominee for his portrayal of James Nichol in The Iron Road and was a Toronto winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1999. Political life In August 2009, Howe entered politics for the first time as a contestant for the Liberal Party of Canada's Oakville electoral district nomination. He lost a very divided contest, but remains very active in various areas of political life. Teaching Due to his particular educational and professional background, Howe had been approached for years to formalize and already active but informal teaching schedule. In 2010, he accepted an opportunity to participate as a voice teacher at one of Canada's young artist programs. This experience led him to formalize a full-time teaching schedule that included voice and opera skills at the University of Alberta. A renewed passion for performing ended his formal teaching duties, but he continues to be active across the globe teaching masterclasses and private lessons