Abroad, mostly in Europe, he has appeared at major festivals and conducted many well-known orchestras. He has toured Australia, conducting the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony orchestras and appearing at the Brisbane Biennial. He has also toured Japan with the London Sinfonietta, an orchestra he has conducted regularly both in the UK and abroad from the beginning of his career.
His operatic achievements cover a wide repertoire and include the world premiere of Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre at the Stockholm Royal Opera, followed by productions of the same work in Hamburg, Paris and London. Other productions include La Clemenza di Tito and Peter Grimes in Stockholm, Tosca in Oslo, Wozzeck in Prague. He conducted Peter Grimes with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden at the Savonlinna Festival. In 1985 he made his debut at Covent Garden with King Priam which he later performed with the same company at the Athens Festival. He conducted the world premiere of Birtwistle's Gawain at Covent Garden in May 1991 and the revivals in 1994 and 2000, a recording of which has been released by Collins Classics.
For English National Opera he has conducted Boris Godunov and Hansel and Gretel, as well as contemporary works: Birtwistle's The Mask of Orpheus, Tippett’s King Priam, Paol Ruder’s The Handmaiden’s Tale, Henze's The Prince of Homburg and Zimmermann's Die Soldaten. For his work on these last two productions Elgar Howarth won the 1997 Olivier award for 'Outstanding achievement in Opera'. He was principal Guest Conductor of the English Northern Philharmonia from 1985–1989. In addition to conducting many concerts with this orchestra, he appears frequently with the sister company, Opera North (where he was music advisor from 1996–99).
Now semi-retired , he retains an interest in composing especially, as a former trumpet player, for brass instruments and continues his regular association with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Many of his works are published by Winwood Music and are much recorded.