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 her spiritual hometown of New York City in 2003. Hilary’s recordings, The Great City (Anzic, 2014) and The Late Set (Anzic, 2017), have received critical acclaim from the jazz world’s major publications, with DownBeat Magazine declaring her “an artist to watch” and naming her a Rising Star Female Vocalist four years in a row. Her most recent album, Charles Ruggiero & Hilary Gardner Play the Music of the bird and the bee (SmallsLIVE, 2019), features jazz renditions of songs by the L.A.-based synth pop duo. All About Jazz awarded the album four stars: “Arresting and imaginative, the music is both in line with its origins and independent in style and spirit.” 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 mini-series, Wormwood, starring Peter Sarsgaard. She is a founding member of Duchess, a Boswell Sisters-inspired vocal trio with Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou. Duchess was named Vocal Group of the Year in the 2021 Jazz Journalists Association Awards. The trio has released three full-length recordings and a holiday EP. They have performed throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and Europe on festival stages and in intimate clubs, with highlights including the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jerusalem Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. The trio has also made sold out appearances at Jazz Standard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Rubin Museum. Duchess enjoys an ongoing collaboration 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 Juilliard and performs as a leader throughout New York City and the United States.