About

Thanks for stopping by. A bit about me: I’m a Chicago-based culture writer, editor, researcher, and radio producer. I mostly write about music for outlets like The Chicago Tribune, WBEZ, VAN Magazine, the Chicago Reader, and Musical America, and regularly contribute to ARTnews, The University of Chicago Magazine, and Tone Glow. In radio, I write and produce stories for WBEZ, most frequently for its arts desk. I have also cut segments for 98.7 WFMT, where, with additional fiscal support from the University of Chicago, I was the station’s inaugural Andrew Patner Fellow in 2015.

I produce in-house writing for a number of arts organizations. I interview artists for the Lampo Letter, an email newsletter associated with the experimental music series of the same name. I am a frequent contributor to the Cincinnati Symphony’s Fanfare magazine, and wrote “The History in This Program” features for the New York Philharmonic’s 2017/18 subscription program books.

I also contribute program notes to the Lakeview Orchestra, a volunteer ensemble in which I also play as a violinist. I currently take lessons with violinist Hannah Christiansen; previous teachers include Clara Lyon (formerly of Spektral Quartet), Alison Dalton (formerly of the Chicago Symphony), Chen Zhao (San Francisco Symphony), Julie Athayde, and Nora Grafton.

Before becoming a full-time freelancer, I served as assistant digital editor at Chicago magazine and was a contributing writer and editor at The Classical Review, an online publication covering classical music in seven states and metro areas. I was a 2018 Rubin Institute Fellow, working alongside professional and rising critics in a four-day intensive music criticism program, and a 2019 Bang on a Can Media Fellow, where I covered Loud Weekend for WNYC’s New Sounds.

I hold degrees from the University of Chicago (bachelor’s in musicology) and the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (master’s of library science, with a focus in archives and exhibition design). My bachelor’s thesis—on the work and legacy of Chicago-based arts critic Claudia Cassidy—was the recipient of the Leonard B. Meyer Prize and accepted for publication in the 2018 edition of the Chicago Studies Annual.

I deactivated my social media accounts in 2025, but I do publish occasional personal and professional updates on my Substack. (You can sign up at the link.) My Muck Rack is the very best place to check on my recent bylines.

To get in touch, fill out my contact form on this website or e-mail me directly at the very redundant hedgar@hannah-edgar.com. I use Signal for sensitive inquiries and can provide my number upon request.