Edward Hart
Dean, School of the Arts
Office Address
Simons Center of the Arts
54 St. Philip Street, Room 207
Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843.953.6532
E-mail: harte@cofc.edu
Download BioEdward Hart has been dean of the College of Charleston's School of the Arts since January 1, 2021. As chief administrative officer of one of the College's six undergraduate schools, Hart supervises the Departments of Art and Architectural History, Arts Management, Historic Preservation and Community Planning, Music, Studio Art, and Theatre and Dance. He oversees the production of approximately 200 events per year and provides leadership in cultural education, programming and scholarship for the school and the community.
Hart has cultivated and enhanced partnerships with many local arts organizations, including the Charleston Symphony, where he serves on the executive board; the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; the Charleston Men's Chorus; the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus; and the Charleston Opera Theatre. He has served on the board of the South Carolina Arts Commission and is a regular guest lecturer for Spoleto Festival USA's Salon Series.
A renowned composer, Hart's music has been performed in the United States, Latin America, Africa and Europe, including performances in New York, Los Angeles, Kiev, Vienna, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Boston and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Reviewers have described his music as "spiritual and emotional"; "clearly visual"; "well crafted, smartly scored and cast in an accessible style that clearly communicates to audiences"; and having "great sweep and strong appeal."
Hart's works include concerti for violin, piano, string quartet and guitar; various orchestral works; chamber music; solo piano compositions; choral music; and art songs. Ensembles that have performed his music include Shanghai Quartet, Kiev Philharmonic, Arpeggione Chamber Orchestra (Austria), Orquesta de Baja California, Philharmonica de Montevideo, Symphony of the Americas, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Taylor Festival Choir and the Arabella Quartet. He has received many commissions and was named Composer in Residence of the Charleston Symphony for the 2019-20 season. Hart's choral music is published by Colla Voce.
From 1994 to 2004, Hart was a co-founder and musical director of The Lowcountry Heritage Society, an arts organization dedicated to the production of new works of art, music and literature about or inspired by the South Carolina Lowcountry. During that time, the society commissioned more than 50 new musical works by 13 composers. The society also produced two modern dance works, a ballet, two literary anthologies, an original play and 14 visual art exhibits.
Education
1993: D.M.A. in music theory and composition, University of South Carolina
1991: M.M. in music theory and composition, University of South Carolina
1998: B.A. in music, College of Charleston
Career Highlights
1993-2013: faculty, College of Charleston Department of Music
1994-2004: co-founder and music director, The Lowcountry Heritage Society
2013-2020: chair, College of Charleston Department of Music
Honors and Achievements
2004-present: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
2013-2019, 2020-present: Charleston Symphony Executive Board
2019-2020: Composer in Residence, The Charleston Symphony Orchestra
2020: College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award of Achievement
2014: Composer in Residence, Archanes Summer Music Academy, Archanes, Greece
2009: Composer in Residence, Conductors Institute of South Carolina
2006: Composer in Residence, Kiev Conservatory, Kiev, Ukraine
2006: Composer in Residence, Lviv Conservatory, Lviv, Ukraine
1994-2004: Co-founder/Music Director, The Lowcountry Heritage Society
2004: Composer in Residence, Conservatorio de la Musica de OBC, Mexico
1996-2000: South Carolina Arts Commission Board Member
1991: Composer in Residence, Carolina Amadeus Chamber Orchestra