Bradley Palmer

Biography

Dr. Bradley Palmer is Professor of Trombone at Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music, where he has led and developed the trombone studio since 1999. He earned his bachelor's degree in music from Millikin University, his master's degree from the University of Iowa, and he completed his doctoral work at Florida State University.

An S.E. Shires Performing Artist, Dr. Palmer has appeared as a soloist in the United States, Canada, Brazil and Hong Kong. He has also performed many times in Europe and the UK. Dr. Palmer performs regularly with a number of orchestras in the Southeast and has held the principal trombone chair with the LaGrange Symphony since 2003. He has performed with many other orchestras including the Alabama Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Macon Symphony, and the Savannah Philharmonic. He has performed at seven International Trombone Festivals, and served as the host for the 2013 and 2021 Festivals at the Schwob School of Music at CSU. He can be heard as a soloist on Summit Records, and has appeared on St. Louis Symphony bass trombonist Gerry Pagano’s CD entitled “Ubiquity” (2014) and on Pagano's 2016 release "Horizons" performing music for two trombones and piano.

At Columbus State University, Dr. Palmer is the brass area coordinator. His former students include national and international solo competition winners, college, high school, middle school and elementary school teachers, music ministers and a number of others performing professionally. He is the conductor of the Schwob Trombone Ensemble at CSU, including performances in Hawaii, Hong Kong, Germany, the American Trombone Workshop in Washington D.C., and numerous International Trombone Festivals. In 2013 the Ensemble finished a multi-year recording project featuring some of the finest trombonists in the US as guest soloists: Joseph Alessi, George Curran, James Markey, Denson Paul Pollard, Bill Thomas, Charlie Vernon and Ko-ichiro Yamamoto. The “A Beautiful Noise” CD was released by Summit Records to critical acclaim and has received airtime on NPR stations in the US and in Europe. The CSU Schwob Trombone Ensemble was featured at the 2013, 2017 and 2021 International Trombone Festivals. 2017 marked the release of the CSU Trombone Ensemble's newest CD "Full Tilt" which followed performances at the Southeast Trombone Symposium and the International Trombone Festival. The CSU Schwob Trombone Ensemble performed on James Markey's solo CD "Psychedelia" released in 2014, performed on George Curran's 2017 CD "Vital Signs", and on Colin Williams' 2019 CD "Ash". YouTube videos of the CSU Trombone Choir and other trombone-related performances at CSU have been viewed over six million times worldwide. The Schwob Trombone Ensemble performed numerous times as they hosted the 2021 International Trombone Festival in Columbus, Georgia.

Along with members of the Atlanta Symphony and New York Philharmonic trombone sections, Palmer serves on the faculty of the Southeast Trombone Symposium and conducts the STS Professors Choir. In addition to a busy performance schedule, he enjoys presenting master classes, clinics and serving as an adjudicator from solo and ensemble competitions to marching band competitions. He has guest conducted performances with trombone ensembles at many schools in the US including Juilliard, in addition to groups in Canada, China and Brazil. He has served as a member of the brass staff of the Phantom Regiment, Pioneer, and Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps. His arrangements for trombone ensemble are published by Cherry Classics.

As a recording engineer and producer, Dr. Palmer has recorded some of today's leading brass players from the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Seattle Symphony. Dr. Palmer serves as the Chair of the International Trombone Association Executive Board, and also serves as the Vice President of the International Trombone Festival Board.