Jherrard Hardeman, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s incoming assistant conductor, most recently held the same position at the Chicago Sinfonietta. Photo by Elliott Mandel/Chicago Sinfonietta.
“The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has welcomed a new conductor into the fold this week,” writes Daniel J. Kushner in Saturday’s (4/28) City (Rochester, NY). “Jherrard Hardeman joins the organization as the RPO’s assistant conductor. Hardeman will occupy The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Education and Community Engagement Chair, a position vacated in 2018 by Michael Butterman … Hardeman’s expanded position includes leadership of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. ‘I’m always very excited about working with youth orchestras,” Hardeman said … ‘It’s something I’ve gotten to do professionally now, since I was 18, and I started working with Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony as their on-call guest conductor.’ A Detroit native and graduate of The Juilliard School, Hardeman comes to Rochester from the Chicago Sinfonietta, where he served as assistant conductor under its music director Mei-Ann Chen…. As assistant conductor to RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs, Hardeman will provide support …Originally a violinist, Hardeman is also a composer himself, though he doesn’t plan to program his own works with the RPYO…. Hardeman, who is Black, says the presence of musicians of color in a symphony orchestra is important for everyone, regardless of race.”
