Heather Gardner

Prysm Strings Faculty

Heather Gardner is a violinist, singer and music teacher living, working and teaching in the Philadelphia and New York City areas.  She specializes in singing and playing  20th and 21st century works though she is equally comfortable singing Brahms, Mozart or Bach.  She holds a Master’s degree in vocal performance from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance from the Eastman School of Music, where she also studied violin and voice.  She is an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, having trained in New York City at the Balance Arts Center.  She has performed extensively with a variety of groups as a soloist, including Alarm Will Sound, The Albany Symphony Orchestra, SFSound, the Dogs of Desire, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the Society for Ancient Instruments, Z-ensemble and Musica Tevere.

Heather enjoys teaching people of all ages and abilities in a variety of genres from classical to musical theater and jazz.  Her West Philadelphia studio hosts Music Together® classes for babies and toddlers, Suzuki voice and violin/viola lessons for children and Alexander Technique-inspired voice lessons and classes for adult beginners and professional musicians.  She is a member of the Peoples’ Music Supply and enjoys experimenting with sounds and structures through free improvisation as well as holding Deep Listening workshops and finding new ways to experience sound.  She is passionate about helping people find their own way to express themselves through sound, movement and music with freedom and creativity!