BJ Hardesty is an active free-lance musician and educator based in the Chicago area. He holds a Master of Music degree in trombone performance from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music in music education degree from Miami University (OH).

BJ has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Lake Forest Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Chicago Opera Theater, South Bend Symphony, and the Northwest Indiana Symphony. In addition to orchestral music, he is also versed in jazz, salsa, and chamber music, performing with Tower Brass, Son Del Caribe, UpBeat Brass, and the Caribe Quartet.

BJ has experience teaching students of every level including elementary, middle, and high school, as well as undergraduate students at Northwestern University and adults. He is the low brass instructor at Glenbrook South High School and Lyons Township High School.

His primary teachers have included Michael Mulcahy (Chicago Symphony), Randall Hawes (Detroit Symphony), Jaime Morales-Matos (Miami University), and Michael Keener (University of Dayton). He has studied additionally with Peter Ellefson (Northwestern/Indiana University), Charles Vernon (Chicago Symphony), Luis Fred (Puerto Rico Symphony), and Kenneth Thomkins (Detroit Symphony).