Stefanie Gardner
Residential Faculty
Department: Performing Arts
Contact Information
Campus: Main
Office Number: CL-28
Email: [email protected]
Phone number: 623-845-3796
Biography
Stefanie Harger Gardner is an acclaimed clarinetist, educator, researcher, and advocate for new music and inclusivity in the arts. She serves as Music Program Director at Glendale Community College, where she leads Team Lo-Blow, the world's largest active low clarinet choir. Formerly a member of the clarinet faculty at Northern Arizona University, Gardner has established an international reputation as a performer, educator, leader, and champion of contemporary music.
Recognized among the "100 Famous Female Clarinetists Throughout History," Gardner maintains an active and diverse performance career with Arizona Opera, AZ Musicfest, Broadway tours, the Phoenix Symphony, the internationally celebrated Paradise Winds, and the award-winning Égide Duo whose mission is is to commission and perform new works that inspire social change. Her collaborations include performances with Jason Alexander, Pitbull, CeeLo, Danny Elfman, Tony Orlando, Reba McEntire, Michael Bolton, David and Katharine McPhee Foster, Jordin Sparks, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Hanson, and The Who. Her chamber recordings on the Soundset label are available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube, and she has commissioned or premiered more than 100 new works for clarinet and bass clarinet.
Gardner is a sought-after international guest artist and clinician, having performed at major conferences of the International Clarinet Association, International Double Reed Society, North American Saxophone Alliance, International Tuba and Euphonium Association, National Flute Association, and International Viola Society. Recent international engagements include the Calefax Reed Quintet Festival in the Netherlands, Clarinets on Stage in Ghent, Belgium, the European Clarinet Congress in Salerno, Italy, and ICA ClarinetFest in South Korea, along with guest artist residencies in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Italy, Austria, Thailand, and Mexico. She also serves on the summer faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory Bass Clarinet Intensive and the Musician Enrichment Foundation and has been guest artist faculty at the Henri Selmer Paris Academy and Lift Clarinet Academy in London, Ontario.
A visionary leader in the clarinet community, Gardner founded the ICA Low Clarinet Festival and ICA New Music Weekend during her tenure as Chair of the International Clarinet Association New Music Committee. She most recently chaired the ICA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access Committee, advancing her commitment to building a clarinet community that celebrates diversity and fosters belonging through initiatives such as clarEquality.com.
Gardner is also an accomplished researcher and pedagogue. She received first prize in the International Clarinet Association Research Competition for her groundbreaking study, "An Investigation of Finger Motion and Hand Posture during Clarinet Performance," conducted in collaboration with Arizona State University's Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing using CyberGloves® technology. Her honors include recognition as a 2025 GRAMMY Music Educator Quarterfinalist, inclusion among Musical America's Top 30 Professionals, and Arizona State University's "Outstanding Contributions in Private Teaching" award. She also serves as a reviewer for W. W. Norton music theory and aural skills textbooks.
Gardner holds Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Clarinet Performance from Arizona State University, where she studied with Robert Spring. She is a Henri Selmer Paris/Conn-Selmer Performing Artist, Silverstein Pro Team Artist, Gleichweit Performing Artist, and Aspire International Artist.
Outside of music, Gardner enjoys cats, vegan food, baking, cooking, cycling, weightlifting, and spending time with her husband, Dr. Joshua Gardner, Associate Professor of Clarinet at Arizona State University.