Ben Palmer

CONDUCTOR, ARRANGER

Entering his sixth year as Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck in Darmstadt, Ben Palmer is also Chief Conductor of Babylon Orchester Berlin, and Founder and Artistic Director of Covent Garden Sinfonia. This season sees debuts with the Aalborg, Antwerp, City of Birmingham, Hof, and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, at the BBC Proms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (televised on BBC Two), and with the Arctic Philharmonic. He works regularly with the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Pilsen Philharmonic, and Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

He can often be heard on BBC Radio 3 conducting the BBC Singers and the BBC Orchestras. Other recent guest conducting engagements include the Heidelberger Sinfoniker, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Sinfonietta de Lausanne, Sinfonietta Riga, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. 

Personally authorised by John Williams to conduct his film scores in concert, and acclaimed by Hans Zimmer as “a masterclass in conducting”, he is one of Europe’s most sought-after specialists in conducting live to picture. He is one of the world’s leading silent film conductors, regularly performing such fiendishly difficult scores as Metropolis, and Chaplin’s Modern Times and The Gold Rush, and appearing at festivals such as Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (Pordenone Silent Film Festival) and La Biennale de Venezia. 

For Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, Ben conducted the Covent Garden Sinfonia in premiere performances of Neil Brand’s scores for The Lodger and Oliver Twist.

In addition to his work as a conductor, he is in great demand as a composer, arranger and orchestrator.