David M. Gardner is a Scottish fiddle performer, teacher, and judge. In the 1980s, while a student at the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

, he began studying music with

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposit ...

. Though he graduated with a degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and spent some time as a teacher, he continued pursuing traditional Scottish music. Gardner regularly plays in

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...

, and is a member of The Virginia Company—an 18th-century music trio which has performed in the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

and other notable venues. He has won numerous regional fiddling competitions, and placed third in the 2009 national championships after initially being part of a three-way tie for first place. He is also a Scottish FIRE-sanctioned judge, and has judged numerous national competitions. He also teaches private lessons, workshops, and at music camps. He's married to Heather Gardner and has a son named Devon Gardner and a daughter named Eliza Gardner. Gardner also has a musical instrument endorsement from the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and is the recipient of a

Fulbright Award The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

, which sponsored a trip to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 2003.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, David Living people 20th-century American fiddlers 21st-century American fiddlers 20th-century Scottish fiddlers 21st-century Scottish fiddlers Musicians from Virginia College of William & Mary alumni 20th-century Scottish violinists 21st-century Scottish violinists Year of birth missing (living people)