Ken Hardin is a familiar figure to music lovers in Northern California. He serves as the Artistic Director for Twin Cities Concert Association (TCCA) and is conductor of TCCA's highly acclaimed Orchestre Panache. He teaches part time on the faculty of Sierra College. Hardin has worked with the Foothill Theatre Company in Nevada City as music director for their season musicals. Hardin has performed as director and pianist of Music in the Mountains' successful Broadway Series and was a founding conductor of Sierra Nevada Winds. An added element of Hardin's resume is his work as a jazz pianist, which took him through university and continues to bring acclaim throughout California. His group "The Ken Hardin Trio" has released its first CD to excellent reviews.

Hardin is a graduate of Whittier College and CA State University, Northridge. At CSUN he studied conducting with John Alexander and served as a faculty pianist. After graduation, Hardin served on the faculty at CSUN until moving to the Sierra Foothills in 1984.