biography
Edward W. Hardy (born January 12, 1992) is a critically acclaimed Black and Puerto Rican composer, music director, virtuoso violinist and violist and is one of the foremost exponents of solo violin repertoire for theatrical productions. At the age of 25, "Hardy (was) one of the youngest composers to ever be accepted into the Exploring the Metropolis Con Edison Composer Residency and one of the most prominent composer/ violinists in New York City" - BroadwayWorld. “Edward W. Hardy, who composed the omnipresent music, plays the violin superbly.” – The New York Times. He has “Vigor, Control And Expressiveness." - The Post and Courier. Hardy is “Mesmerizing” - Manhattan With A Twist and also performs in a style that is “serene, dreamy, and soulful with velvety panache” - The Millbrook Independent. As the composer, music director and violinist of the smash hit Off-Broadway show The Woodsman Hardy’s show was a recipient of the 2016 Obie Award, the 2014 Jim Henson Foundation Grant and was broadcast on PBS stations four separate times, streamed on BroadwayHD and major music producer Jim McElwaine produced Hardy’s album “The Woodsman Original Off-Broadway Solo Recording” which continues to be sold and streamed in countries such as the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey, France, Hong Kong, Argentina, Ireland, and Germany.
Currently, Edward's discography contains 8 singles, 1 album, and his list of original compositions include works for solo violin, voice, harp, piano, string quartet, string trio, string duo, Latin ensemble, and soundtracks for film and stage. Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts commissioned Edward's song cycle, BORN FREE (Sorrow Home, Lineage, The Struggle Staggers Us, and Southern Song) and premiered the work as part of their 2022 UNTRAPPED series with soprano Tiffany Townsend and pianist Alex Munger. Also in 2022, Edward's Latin piece "Flying - Dancing in Spanish Harlem" was performed by Jazz legend Andre Hayward and his band, along with Edward, at the Austin Chamber Music Festival. In 2023, Edward completed a United States tour with the Griot String Quartet in Damien Sneed's OUR SONG, OUR STORY, which is an evening of operatic arias, art songs and spirituals featuring Justin Austin, Jacqueline Echols, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Janinah Burnett, Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Raven McMillon, accompanied by Sneed on piano. Also in 2023, Edward had the honor of closing the 2022-2023 Capitol Hill Concert series with a sold-out, solo violin, multi-genre, season finale concert at the First Unitarian Society of Denver, accompanied by pianist Jordan Ortman and soprano Courtney Caston in the Colorado premiere of Hardy's BORN FREE song cycle. This concert set a new record at Capitol Hill Concerts for the most donations raised for a nonprofit (El Sistema Colorado) in the history of its concert series.
Edward has received numerous awards, most recently winning 1st Prize in the 2022 University of Northern Colorado Concerto Competition and 2nd Prize in the 2022 Angie Southard Performance Competition. Edward also has an extensive performance history ranging from solo violin performances for the Congressional Black Caucus/ opening of the African-American Smithsonian Museum, Hublot, MAC Cosmetics, Haute Living, special performances for rap legends 50 Cent, Nas, Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, Usher, Russell Westbrook, Kehlani, and legendary hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, to sharing the stage with other famous artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Maxim Vengerov, D-Nice, Salt-N-Pepa, Bunb B, Baby Cham, Scarface, 702, Mike Phillips, Lloyd, Israel Houghton, Kenny Burns, Kygo, André De Shields, Brandie Sutton, Regina Carter, Bryan Carter, Norm Lewis, Joshua Bell, John Blake Jr., Mark O'Connor, Radmila Lolly, Graham Reynolds, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeffrey Zeigler, Sandbox Percussion, the Attacca Quartet, and Tamar-kali. Performance venues include Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Sheldon Concert Hall, WQXR, The Greene Space, The Apollo Theater, Wheeler Opera House, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Charleston Museum, The Cutting Room, The Public Theater's Joe's Pub, Amanyara, and many others.
Edward is a proud member of the American Composers Orchestra, Local 802 Musicians Union, Dramatist Guild of America, ASCAP, and is affiliated with the Sphinx Organization, Exploring the Metropolis, the Gateways Music Festival, Carnegie Hall/ Weill Music Institute and the Colorado American Strings Teachers Association. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Omnipresent Music Festival - BIPOC Musicians Festival, and the co-founder of the Northern Colorado Center for Arts Entrepreneurship. Edward holds a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance from SUNY Purchase College where he studied with Ira Weller & Danielle Farina, and a Master’s degree in violin performance from Aaron Copland School of Music - Queens College where his teacher was Daniel Phillips. Edward is currently a doctoral candidate and graduate instructor in violin performance at the University of Northern Colorado under the mentorship of Dr. Jubal Fulks.
Edward owns and performs on "The Black Violin", made by Guy Rabut in 1995.