Composing

In addition to his work as conductor, Ben Palmer is in demand as a composer, arranger and orchestrator. Arranging commissions include the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, silent film scores by Neil Brand and Stephen Horne, and, for Sony Classical, Eldbjørg Hemsing and the Arctic Philharmonic, Florian Christl and the NDR Radiophilharmonie, and Schiller’s album Epic with the Synchron Stage Orchestra Vienna. His own music has been commissioned by Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra (Urban Fox, a companion piece for The Rite of Spring), Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Thaxted Festival, the English Music Festival, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin (Bach Dreams, featured on the 2017 album Neue Meister in Berlin), and the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, amongst others. Clients include Fitbit (The Fitbit Stress Symphony, viewed more than 7.5M times on YouTube), Disney+, MoMA, and the Royal Albert Hall.

His compositions have been performed by such ensembles as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the BBC Singers, Covent Garden Sinfonia, Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, and City of London Sinfonia, throughout the UK, in Germany, China and the USA. His arrangements have been played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, 21st Century Orchestra, Royal College of Music Philharmonic, Münchner Symphoniker, and Plzenská filharmonie, at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, KKL Luzern, Vienna Konzerthaus, Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and as far afield as South Korea.

Ben studied composition with Vic Hoyland and Erik Oña at the University of Birmingham, and with Simon Bainbridge at the Royal Academy of Music. After a six-year break from composing to concentrate on his conducting career, he began writing again in 2012.

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Works (selected list)

Starscape
Commissioned by Deutsche Philharmonie Merck
5.5 min / 3*.3*.3*.3*-4.3.3.1-timp+3-cel-hp-str
First performance: 13 July 2024, Jagdschloss Kranichstein
Deutsche Philharmonie Merck / Ben Palmer

Window Seat: Flight for Orchestra
4.5 min / 3*.2*.3*.3*-4.3.3.1-timp+3-cel-hp-str
First performance: 4 May 2024, Saffron Hall
BBC Concert Orchestra / Ben Palmer

Matin Chimes
Commissioned by Grimethorpe Colliery Band
3 min / brass band
First performance: 20 Dec 2022, Sheffield Cathedral
Grimethorpe Colliery Band / Ben Crick

Urban Fox
Commissioned by Chetham’s School of Music
c. 6-7 min / 5*.5*.5*.5*-8.6.3.2-2timp+4-str
First performance: 8 Jul 2022, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra / Ben Palmer

LILI BOULANGER (arr. Ben Palmer) D’un matin de printemps
Commissioned by the Hallé Orchestra
5 min / 3*.2.2.2-2.2.2.0-timp+2-hp-str
First performance: 19 Feb 2022, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Hallé Orchestra / Ben Palmer

Ganymede
Commissioned by Thaxted Festival
6 min / 1*.0.1*.0-asx-0.1.0.0-2perc-2pno-str(min1.1.1.1.1)
First performance: 2 Jul 2021, Thaxted Festival
Covent Garden Sinfonia / Timothy Redmond

Christmas Finale
Commissioned by the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck
2 min / 3*.2.3*.2-4.4.3.1-timp+2-hp-str
Recording: YouTube, Dec 2020
Deutsche Philharmonie Merck / Ben Palmer

The Fitbit Stress Symphony
Commissioned by Fitbit
Sound Design by Aston Rudi
3 min / 0.0.2*.2-3.1.1.0-2perc-pno-str
Recording: YouTube, Nov 2020
Covent Garden Sinfonia / Ben Palmer

Präludium
Commissioned by the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck
1 min 15 sec / 2.2.3*.2-4.4.3.1-1perc-hp-str
Recording: YouTube, Nov 2020
Deutsche Philharmonie Merck / Ben Palmer

RAVEL (orch. Ben Palmer) Kaddisch from Deux mélodies hébraïques
Commissioned by Anne Gershenson / Spare Part Films
4 min / 0.0.0.0-2.0.3.0-1perc-pno-hp-str
Recording: YouTube, May 2020
Carolyn Sampson / Covent Garden Sinfonia / Ben Palmer

The Journey Through Time: A Merck Symphony
Commissioned by Merck KGaA to celebrate its 350th anniversary
11 min / 3*.3*.3*.3*-4.3.3.1-timp+3-str (reduced version: winds 3*.2*2.2)
First performance: 3 May 2018, Darmstadt
Recording: Magic of Movie 2, 2019
Deutsche Philharmonie Merck / Ben Palmer

Eggs or Anarchy (based on the book by William Sitwell)
Commissioned by Sacla UK Limited
21 min / speaker, 1*.0.1*.0-asx-0.1.0.0-1perc-str(0.0.0.1.0)
First performance: 8 Oct 2017, Cedars Hall, Wells Cathedral School
Zeb Soanes / Covent Garden Sinfonia / Ben Palmer

Bach Dreams
Commissioned by Neue Meister
14 min / piano and string orchestra
First performance: 6 Nov 2016, Berlin
Recording: Neue Meister in Berlin, 2017
Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin / Ben Palmer

Flying in the Fire
Commissioned by Woking Choral Society
8 min 30 sec / chorus, 2.3*.2.3*-4.3.3.0-1perc-hp-str
First performance: 19 Mar 2016, Cadogan Hall, London
Woking Choral Society / Orchestra of St Paul’s / Ben Palmer

To the Greenwood Gone
Commissioned by Woking Choral Society
12 min / chorus, 1.1.1.1-hp-str(min1.1.1.1.1)
First performance: 27 Jun 2015, H.G. Wells Centre, Woking
Woking Choral Society / Orchestra of St Paul’s / Ben Palmer

Dance of the Hardanger Fiddle
Commissioned by Stamford Chamber Orchestra
4 min / solo violin and string orchestra
First performance: 24 Jan 2015, Stamford Arts Centre
Anja Smith / Stamford Chamber Orchestra / Ben Palmer

In this trembling shadow (after Dowland)
Commissioned by the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin
6 min 30 sec / string orchestra
First performance: 13 Nov 2014, Berliner Philharmonie
Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin / dir. Hannah Perowne

Sinfonietta
Commissioned by the English Music Festival
6 min / 3*.2.2.3*-2.2.3.0-timp+1-str
First performance: 27 Jun 2013, Dorchester Abbey
Orchestra of St Paul’s / Ben Palmer

Blaze
Commissioned by the Wolsey Orchestra to celebrate its 40th anniversary
2 min 30 sec / 3*.3*.2.2-4.3.3.1-timp+3-hp-str
First performance: 13 Oct 2012, Ipswich Corn Exchange
Wolsey Orchestra / Ben Palmer

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