As agents of new repertoire, Égide Duo’s mission is to collaborate with composers to create and present music that addresses social change, including issues involving the environment/climate, animal and human rights, and equality. The duo aims to provide clear and pointed musical commentary on issues that affect our society today and tomorrow in an effort to draw attention to and encourage active public engagement on such issues. Joshua and Stefanie Gardner have commissioned works by Eric Mandat, Kurt Mehlenbacher, Jon Russell, John Steinmetz, Joel Love, and others dedicated to effecting social change through music.

The duo has been invited to perform at conferences for numerous organizations, including the International Clarinet Association and the College Music Society. Their recent performance at ClarinetFest 2019 was described as “powerful” with a “vibrant color palette and captivating quality” by the conference review team. They have appeared as guest artists throughout the US and in France.

In addition to performing, Joshua and Stefanie hold teaching positions in higher education. Joshua teaches at Arizona State University and Stefanie teaches at Glendale Community College (AZ). They both perform with the Paradise Winds Reed Quintet and are Selmer Paris/Conn-Selmer and Silverstein Works performing artists.

Joshua Gardner is Clinical Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Performance Physiology Research Laboratory at Arizona State University, where he has taught since 2011. He maintains an active performance career, performing with several ensembles, including the internationally recognized Paradise Winds and Égide Duo, and is a frequent soloist with high school and college ensembles. He has performed and lectured at conferences for the International Clarinet Association, European Clarinet Association, International Double Reed Society, and North American Saxophone Alliance and has been featured on American Public Radio’s Performance Today.

In addition to performing and teaching, Gardner has a strong interest in woodwind pedagogy and research. He won first prize at the International Clarinet Association Research Competition in 2008 and has presented lectures on tongue motion during clarinet performance throughout the US, often accompanied by live tongue imaging. He is currently exploring the use of ultrasound for quantified research and performance diagnostics. As part of the PPR Lab, Gardner often mentors student research initiatives ranging from examining embouchure force dynamics using thin-film force transducers to exploring non-articulatory tongue motion during saxophone performance using ultrasound imaging. He is also a member of the interdisciplinary ASU research group, SAMBA – Science of Art, Music, and Brain Activity. The group plans to integrate ecologically-based perceptual scene-analysis theory, music performance and education principles, and neural brain modeling tests to further our understanding of music perception and education. They recently won a collaborative grant with neuroscientists from the Mayo Clinic to develop pre-surgical mapping procedures to preserve cognitive functions important to professional musician patients.

Dr. Gardner received Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Clarinet Performance from the University of Kentucky and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University. Gardner is a Henri Selmer Paris/Conn-Selmer Performing Artist playing Privilege clarinets, a Silverstein Pro Team Artist, and uses Vandoren mouthpieces.

Dr. Stefanie Harger Gardner teaches clarinet, chamber music, and music theory at Glendale Community College and Ottawa University. Previously she served on the faculty at Northern Arizona University and Mesa Community College. Gardner maintains an active performance career, performing with Arizona Opera, the Phoenix Symphony, Red Rocks Chamber Music Festival, Seventh Roadrunner, the internationally recognized Paradise Winds, and grant-winning Égide Duo, whose mission is to commission, record, and perform music inspiring social change. She has performed in conferences for the International Clarinet Association, the International Double Reed Society, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and the International Viola Congress. Gardner’s chamber music albums are recorded on the Soundset label and can be heard on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. In addition to performing and teaching, Gardner has a strong interest in woodwind pedagogy. In 2012, Gardner won first prize at the International Clarinet Association Research Competition with her study, “An Investigation of Finger Motion and Hand Posture during Clarinet Performance,” where she collaborated with the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at ASU to study hand posture and finger motion during clarinet performance using CyberGloves®. Recently, she was awarded “Outstanding Contributions in Private Teaching” by Arizona State University, and has been hired by Norton Publishing Company to review theory and aural skills textbooks. Dr. Gardner received Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Clarinet Performance from Arizona State University studying with Robert Spring. Gardner is a Henri Selmer Paris/Conn-Selmer Performing Artist playing Privilege clarinets, a Silverstein Pro Team Artist, and uses Selmer mouthpieces.

A native of Marshalltown, Iowa, Gail Novak now lives and performs in the Phoenix area. Gail is in demand as a collaborator across the United States and frequently performs with students, professors, and guest artists at Arizona State University. Gail’s extensive repertoire list for many different instruments has landed her invitations to perform at the National Trumpet Competition, the International Clarinet Festival, the International Double Reed Society, the National Flute Association, the International Trumpet Guild, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference. She is featured on recordings with David Hickman, Robert Spring, and Brad Edwards.

Celebrating the creativity and distinctive voices of women composers, this album brings together new works that explore courage, love, identity, partnership, and resilience. Performed by Égide Duo, featuring pianist Gail Novak, the collection expands the clarinet repertoire with vibrant new music while contributing to broader representation within the clarinet community.