Hilary Gardner

Vocalist Hilary Gardner, described by The New Yorker as “a singer with a beguilingly subtle wit,” grew up a New Yorker at heart in the jazz hinterland of Wasilla, Alaska. Following stints in Italy and Seattle, WA, she moved to New York City in 2003.

Hilary has released three recordings as a leader, receiving critical acclaim from the jazz world’s major publications; DownBeat Magazine declared her “an artist to watch” and named her a Rising Star Female Vocalist four years in a row. In 2010, the Frank Sinatra estate chose Hilary to appear as the live, onstage singer in Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp’s Broadway hit, COME FLY AWAY. Backed by a 19-piece big band, Hilary sang solos and duets with Frank Sinatra in a performance hailed by critics as “wonderful” (Huffington Post), “elegant” (USA Today), and “terrific” (New York Observer).

Hilary performed with Jeff Goldblum and his band on Goldblum’s opening night at Café Carlyle, prompting New York Magazine to call hers "a voice worth seeking out." In the wake of her appearance with Goldblum, Michael Feinstein invited Hilary to be his guest on NPR's Song Travels with Michael Feinstein. She was also a guest on Judy Carmichael’s SiriusXM program, Jazz Inspired. Hilary appears as a jazz singer in Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris’s 2017 Netflix miniseries, WORMWOOD.

She is a founding member of Duchess, a Boswell Sisters-inspired vocal trio with Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou. Duchess has released three full-length recordings and a holiday EP on Anzic Records, and was named Vocal Group of the Year in the 2021 and 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Awards. The trio has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and Europe on festival stages and in intimate clubs. Duchess has collaborated with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, performing the music of the Andrews Sisters live onstage at Lincoln Center for Taylor’s seminal piece, Company B.

Hilary has appeared as a guest soloist with symphonies across the country, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Carolina Philharmonic, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, and the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. She serves on the jazz voice advisory committee at The Juilliard School and performs as a leader throughout New York City and the United States.

Hilary’s newest project, with Justin Poindexter, Noah Garabedian, and Aaron Thurston (aka The Lonesome Pines), is an album of “trail songs,” repertoire culled from the singing cowboy era of the 1930s-50s. The music combines elements of jazz and Western swing, with lyrics that evoke the expansiveness and romantic allure of the American West: purple hills, silver stars, and the freedom to roam, unhurried and unworried, under endless western skies. The album will be released in 2024. www.hilarygardner.com