Hilary Gardner

Hilary Gardner is an American jazz vocalist and Broadway performer who grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. From an early age, Gardner was drawn to the voice of Ella Fitzgerald, particularly the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, and she has also cited Patsy Cline, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits as influences. Her early musical training included membership in the Alaska Children's Choir, classical voice study, and performances with the Anchorage Opera. Her professional singing career began in country music venues in Wasilla before she relocated to New York City, where she spent ten years working as a waitress.

In 2010, Gardner appeared on Broadway in Come Fly with Me, a musical choreographed by Twyla Tharp built around the music of Frank Sinatra, in which she sang before a 17-piece big band. The production is also listed among her credits under the title Fly Away Home.

Gardner's recording career includes several albums as a leader and co-leader. Her debut solo album, The Great City, released on Anzic Records in 2014, was a tribute to New York. She followed it with The Late Set, recorded with pianist Ehud Asherie and released in 2017, the same year she released Charles Ruggiero and Hilary Gardner Play The Bird and The Bee on SmallsLIVE. On the Trail with The Lonesome Pines appeared on Anzic in 2024. As a guest artist, Gardner has contributed to recordings by Mike Longo, Moby, George Gee, Charles Ruggiero, Art Lillard's Heavenly Band, and Kat Edmonson, among others.

In 2013, Gardner co-founded the vocal trio Duchess alongside Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou, a group inspired by The Boswell Sisters and arranged by Oded Lev-Ari, co-owner of Anzic Records. Duchess has released multiple albums, including their self-titled debut in 2015, Laughing at Life in 2016, Harmony for the Holidays in 2018, and Live at Jazz Standard in 2020.