01/15/2026
For our upcoming winter concert, we will be featuring the very talented guest conductor, composer and soloist, Chris Palmer 🎼
See our event page for more details!
Christopher Palmer joined Symphony Nova Scotia in 1985, and he has been here ever since. Chris was born in The Hague, Netherlands, of Canadian parents who were posted to Canadian Embassies abroad, and he grew up in London, England. He graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, and later from the University of Ottawa. He is grateful to have been taught all that is best in the European and North American schools of bassoon playing.
Before moving to Halifax, Chris played engagements with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the U.K., the Vancouver Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. He has performed as a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia and Nova Sinfonia and has played solo recitals as far away as Nairobi, Kenya and Sydney, Australia.
Chris teaches bassoon at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and he often coaches the winds of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.
As a conductor he has directed Nova Sinfonia and the Chebucto Symphony Orchestra. Chris plays organ at his church and is also busy as a composer and arranger. Most recently his composition, “Concerto Haligonia,” was commissioned by Symphony Nova Scotia in 2023, to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
