"Palmer reveled in the
display of virtuosity"
-New York Concert Review, Summer 2001
Dr.
Palmer made her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2001 to rave reviews as a winner in the
Artists International Competition. The New York Concert Review called Palmer's
performance "incisive and expressive...particularly enchanting...with
sensuous tone and pace." Noted for her performances of music from the
eighteenth century, Palmer has performed the concerti of C.P.E. Bach and Mozart
in the United States
and
Europe, and she is the author of the book, Ornamentation According to C.P.E. Bach
and J.J. Quantz. "Clearly, the author is knowledgeable about
ornamentation..." states the American Music Teacher magazine. In 2003 Palmer released her first solo CD,
Versailles
, on the Stillwater Sound label featuring French music of the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries arranged by Palmer for the modern wood flute. The New
York Concert Review writes, "Palmer is clearly among the few current
performers on any instrument to fully understand the nature of this music."
Awards
In 1997 Palmer was awarded second prize in the National
Flute Association's Young Artist Competition in
Chicago. This honor was only the latest for Palmer in a series of top placements in
national music competitions. In 1992, she was named the winner of the Ruth Burr
Award in Houston, and she received a third place finish in the Hemphill-Wells Sorantin Young
Artist Award in San Angelo, Texas. In 1997 fourth place finishes were earned in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young
Artist Competition in
Texas
and the William C. Byrd Competition in
Michigan. An avid chamber musician, Palmer formed two award-winning chamber music
ensembles: the Quintetto Ruvido, winner of the 1989 Carmel Chamber Music Society
Competition in Carmel, California; and the Kolphos Kwintet, recipient of an invitation to the National Endowment
for the Arts' Rural Residencies program in 1993.
Education
Palmer began her musical studies at the age of nine with
Carol Romans of the Stockton Symphony in California
. After receiving her Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern
California where she studied with the late Roger Stevens, Principal Flutist of
the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she went on to complete both her Master of Music
and her Doctorate of Musical Arts at Rice University in Houston. It was during
three of these years of study in
Texas
that Palmer came under the guidance of the great American flutist, Carol
Wincenc. Following her training with Ms. Wincenc, Palmer had the great fortune
of studying under some of the most sought-after instructors in this country's
flute community: Walfrid Kujala, Piccoloist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra;
Anne Diener Zentner, Principal Flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; John
Thorne, Assistant-Principal Flutist of the Houston Symphony; and Leone Buyse,
Professor of Flute at Rice University. In addition, Palmer has studied
intensively with Gaetano Schiavone, Associate-Principal Flutist of the Rome
Opera and Professor of Flute at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Ensemble Experience
Before launching a solo career, Palmer established herself
as an accomplished orchestral flutist. As a member of the New Mexico Symphony
Orchestra, she served as Acting Principal Flutist on four state-wide tours
during the 1998-1999 season while simultaneously holding the position of
Principal Flutist with the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. Prior to these
positions, Palmer held the chair of Second Flutist with the Debut Orchestra in
Los Angeles for three years. She has also performed with the Houston Symphony, the
Shreveport Symphony, the Ohio Light Opera Company, the Sarasota Music Festival,
and the Texas Music Festival.
The Wood Flute
Dr. Palmer performs on a Verne Q. Powell modern wood
flute, an instrument that crosses the divide between a baroque flute and a
modern flute. With the combination of a wood body and a silver mechanism, it has
the tone qualities of a baroque flute, but with the stable pitch, mechanical
improvements, and powerful delivery of a modern flute.