Edward W. Hardy

Edward W. Hardy (born January 12, 1992) is an American composer, music director, violinist and violist. He is known as the composer, co-conceiver, music director, and violinist of the Off-Broadway show The Woodsman.

Hardy began studying the violin at the Opus 118 Music School in Harlem, New York at the age of 7, studying under the instruction of Roberta Guaspari, Lynelle Smith, Yonah Zur, and Elizabeth Handman. During this time, Hardy had numerous performances around the New York City area at locations including Avery Fisher Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, FiddleFest at The Apollo Theater, and Carnegie Hall where he shared the stage with Joshua Bell, Regina Carter, John Blake, Mark O'Connor, and Itzhak Perlman. Three years later, Hardy became a student of the Juilliard Music Advancement Program for young musicians. Later, he worked as a freelance concert artist for five years while studying both violin and viola at both Manhattan School of Music and the Bloomingdales School of Music. During the summer months, Hardy attended The Elisabeth Morrow School of Music, Manhattan School of Music Summer Camp, Kinhaven Music School and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. In 2012, Hardy also performed in special masterclass by Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet.

Hardy then attended Talent Unlimited High School where he played both violin and viola in orchestra and jazz band. He switched between concertmaster and principal violist in the orchestra. In his third year, Hardy was selected to be an intern with the Exploring the Arts' Tony Bennett Apprenticeship Program where he studied under the direction of the Latin Jazz Fusion Sweet Plantain string quartet; Eddie Venegas, Romulo Benavides, Orlando Wells, and David Gotay. In his senior year of high school, Hardy received both the 2010 Patrick Gallagher Performing Arts Award in Instrumental Music Talent Unlimited High School and the Chancellor's Endorsed Diploma for the Arts: The New York City Department of Education - Advanced Designation Through the Arts: Music. In recognition of an advanced level of achievement and the completion of a five-unit sequence of major study in partial fulfillment of the New York State Regents Diploma. After graduation, Hardy returned to Talent Unlimited High School to give private lessons to the violinists and violists later to perform regularly with the quartet. Hardy has become a “stunt violinist and violist of the Sweet Plantain String Quartet. Hardy has performed with Sweet Plantain around the country.

He was appointed Principal Violist of the Purchase Symphony Orchestra for three consecutive years. He was a student of Ira Weller of the Met Orchestra. In 2014, Hardy performed in two masterclasses; one led by renowned violist Kim Kashkashian, international solo violinist Carmit Zori and cellist Julia Lichten of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at the Performing Arts Center’s Recital Hall at Purchase College. Hardy earned his bachelor's degree in Viola Performance with honors from the SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music.

Hardy found his love for theatre during his first undergraduate year at Purchase College. Although he was in the music conservatory, Hardy spent most of my time performing in plays presented by the acting conservatory. He composed for and performed in several plays, always in costume and on stage. By the end of his undergraduate career, Hardy fell in love with theater and with the idea of composing for theater.

Hardy often composed and performed for theatrical performances both on and off the Purchase College campus. He has performed in Three Sisters; Chekhov, Blues for an Alabama Sky; Cleage, Trojan Women; Euripides, Twelfth Night; Shakespeare, Mother Courage and Her Children; Brecht, Beautiful Dreamer; McElwaine/Foster,all under the instruction of his mentor; James (Jim) McElwaine.

In 2015, Hardy was the recipient of the Beatrice Schacher-Myers Scholarship, 2014 and 2015 recipient of the Laurence Rosenfeld Scholarship, and the Chamber Music Live Scholarship from the Aaron Copland School of Music in 2015. He also had the privilege of performing in a masterclass with violinist Ida Kavafian at LeFrak Concert Hall in New York City. He was a student of Daniel Phillips of the Orion String Quartet Hardy earned his Masters of Music degree in Violin Performance with honors from CUNY, Queens College – Aaron Copland School of Music.

Hardy performed with Kygo in the 2016 inaugural edition of The Meadows Music & Arts Festival held at Citi Field in Queens, New York. In Kygo’s last song on stage, Hardy played viola in a string quartet arrangement of his hit song “Firestone (song)” featuring Conrad Sewell.

In 2014, Hardy performed as a guest solo violinist at the Charleston Museum under the button of Maestro Marlon Daniel and performed in the first violin section of The Black Stars of Broadway Concert led by Norm Lewis and Chapman Roberts. Months later Hardy took the stage as concertmaster of the Trilogy Opera Company at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Victoria Theater. From a special invitation from Marlon Daniel, Hardy was invited to perform in Ensemble du Monde and made his first appearance with the chamber ensemble in 2015 at Merkin Hall. Later that year, Hardy performed with Roderick Cox as the assistant concertmaster at the Colour of Music Orchestra at Gaillard Center in Charleston. In 2016, Hardy was commissioned to compose and perform a solo violin piece for the Congressional Black Caucus at Howard Theatre which was a private event, sponsored by Google, apart of the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He composed and performed a piece called “Evolution” and also performed Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer) with the Colour of Music Virtuosi led by Roderick Cox associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. Hardy's solo violin piece "Evolution" made its televised debut on PBS, and on its affiliate stations American Music TV, in California and New York City.

In 2017, Anadi Azikiwe invited Hardy to perform with the Harlem Symphony Orchestra at the famous The Apollo Theater in Harlem for a sold-out event.

A Brooklyn Boy

A Brooklyn Boy is a spoken word performance that portrays Steven Prescod's coming-of-age story. Hardy participated as the co-composer and solo violinist through two years of workshops until its final location at the East Village Playhouse in New York City. A Brooklyn Boy was workshopped in famous venues such as the National Black Theatre of Harlem, the Vineyard Theatre, at the Department of Education in Washington, D. C., The American Museum of Natural History, the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Marriott Marquis.

The Woodsman

In Hardy's junior year of 2012–13 at Purchase College, he started and finished composing all the music for the first edition of The Woodsman within two months. As each rendition of play developed and molded into something new the music reflected its transformation.Except for a brief introduction, The Woodsman does not have any words and is unlike any other play. During the first meeting with the playwright, both Hardy and Ortiz examined the synopsis of the play. This was Hardy's opportunity to think of this play like a silent film and tell a story through music.He explored different genres of music to create everything from the sound of nature to the different instruments in an orchestra. The program music plays a significant role in the play.”

Edgar Allan Poe's Inspired Works

Hardy composed “Three Pieces Inspired By Edgar Allan Poe”: Nevermore, Evil Eye and A Fantasy were recorded by Grammy award winner John Kilgore, Jonathan Jetter and produced by Jim McElwaine. Nevermore was premiered at Hardy's first one-man sold-out show “Six Violins: A Musical Evening with Edward W. Hardy” at the Cutting Roomin NYC which also featured Hardy playing three his violins on WNYW - Fox 5 news.

• 2007 Vincent Wagner Concerto Competition (violin)
• 2007 David Greer Prize
• 2008 Vincent Wagner Concerto Competition (viola)