Jherrard Hardeman was a promising young conductor heralded as a “child prodigy” and “rising star” when the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra hired the then-25-year-old in 2023.
Little more than two years later, Hardeman’s role as assistant conductor and director of the youth orchestra ended quietly but abruptly. Records show the RPO was unsatisfied with his job performance and sought his resignation. By the time he left, he faced a campuswide ban, an allegation of statutory rape involving a 16-year-old and claims that he was using dating apps to pursue students at the Eastman School of Music.
Hardeman denies those allegations, all of which are documented in a defamation lawsuit he has filed against the RPO and the University of Rochester…