Nicholas Hardie, cellist

Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129 by Robert Schumann

Nicholas Hardie holds a Doctorate in Cello Performance from Boston University, a Master of Music from Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins, and a Bachelor Degree from Baylor University. He is a founding member of the newly formed Stratus Chamber Players, and previously the Satori Quartet with whom he held a graduate residency at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His main teachers include George Neikrug, Alan Stepansky, and his father, Gary Hardie, in addition to significant study with Joel Krosnick.

Nick founded the Satori Quartet during his three summers at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and was awarded the first group invitation to the festival in its 100 year history. The group would go on to gain an apprenticeship with the world-renown Takacs Quartet in Boulder, Colorado. In addition to regular interaction with the Takacs members and frequent performances at the University and throughout the community, the Satori Quartet gave lectures and outreach concerts to over 2500 students and more than a dozen schools in the Colorado area. They performed on the Aspen Festival’s Winter Music series and for Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek. The group attended the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival with the Tokyo Quartet, the Takacs Quartet Seminar, and the prestigious Juilliard Quartet Seminar where they performed in Paul Hall in New York.

While pursuing his Doctorate at Boston University, he gave performances as principal cellist of the university orchestra at Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall and was mentioned by name in the Boston Globe. Nick performed in the International Grieg Festival and was frequently highlighted on the Marsh Chapel Cantata Series, where performances were broadcast on WBUR 90.9 (Boston’s NPR station). During his graduate work at Peabody Conservatory he was awarded the Grace Clagett Ranney Prize for Outstanding Chamber Musician and performed on the Peabody Faculty Chamber Music Series. At Baylor he received the Most Outstanding Musical Performance award and returned as an alumni to perform Strauss’s Don Quixote with the university orchestra in 2010.