Royal College of Music, London, U.K.
Associate of the Royal College of Music
Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music

University of Ottawa, Canada
Bachelor of Music

Christopher Palmer was born in the Hague, Netherlands, of Canadian parents, and grew up in London, England.  He studied at the Royal College of Music in London, and also at the University of Ottawa.

As a professional bassoonist he has played in many orchestras and ensembles, including the Vancouver Symphony, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.  Since 1985 he has been a member of Symphony Nova Scotia, and he has occasionally performed with the orchestra as a soloist.  He also plays piano and organ, and has been active in the community as a teacher, coach and conductor.  He conducted the Chebucto Symphony Orchestra for 11 years, and has also conducted Nova Sinfonia and other ensembles.

Chris is also a composer and arranger. His Ships and Flags: a 2012 Overture was commissioned by the CBC and performed at the 2012 Tall Ships Festival in Halifax, and later broadcast across the country.

Other orchestral works include For Those in Peril on the Sea, Juvenescence Overture (for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra), From the Delta to Chicago: a Blues Journey, and Pier 21 Overture  For the Halifax Camerata Singers he wrote Halifax, December Sixth, 1917, for a concert honouring the centenary of the Halifax Explosion, and he composed Fanfare for Province House for the bicentenary of Canada’s oldest legislature building (2019).

As an arranger, Chris has written orchestral accompaniments for East Coast artists of diverse backgrounds who have performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, including Lennie Gallant, J.P. Cormier, the Barra MacNeils, Heather Rankin, Meaghan Smith, David Myles, Ben Caplan and El Viento Flamenco.  His arrangements of songs by Leonard Cohen for the Blue Engine String Quartet with Cliff Lejeune have been performed many times with great success, and the recording has been broadcast nationwide on CBC radio.  He has arranged Broadway, Beatles, Abba and Christmas music for the Rhapsody Quintet.

To learn more about Christopher, bassoon, composing, arranging lessons, or about our programming in general don’t hesitate to get in touch!
902. 423. 6995 | admin@maritimeconservatory.com