An eloquent communicator known for his revelatory interpretations and invigorating presence, American conductor Jherrard Hardeman is a rising star on the symphonic stage. He joined the Rochester Philharmonic as Assistant Conductor and RPYO Music director in 2023, served as guest/interim faculty at the Eastman School from 2024-2025, and joined the ROCmusic Faculty as Studio Strings Conductor in 2025.

Hardeman studied Orchestral Conducting under internationally renowned conductors David Robertson at The Juilliard School, Hugh Wolff at the New England Conservatory of music, Mei-Ann Chen at the Chicago Sinfonietta, and Kevin Noe. Maestro Hardeman has also guest conducted major American orchestras like the Seattle and Tulsa Symphonies, and assisted at the National Symphony (DC), Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Colour of Music Festival.

Passionate about music education, Jherrard Hardeman has served on the conducting staff of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Community Music Center of Boston, and has conducted various regional all-state symphony orchestras.