Apr 30, 2024 3:00 pm

Donald Palma performs, teaches, and conducts throughout the northeastern United States and around the world.Currently the double bassist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, he served previously as principal bassist of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the American Composers Orchestra, and as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Palma has also performed with many notable chamber ensembles and soloists. In addition to his performances as a double bassist, Palma is Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony-by-the-Sea in Beverly, Mass. He was previously Music Director of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

At the Yale School of Music, Palma teaches a studio of graduate-level double bass students. He has given master classes at the Toho School, The Juilliard School, Rice University, the San Francisco Conservatory, Boston University, the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, and the Manhattan School of Music.

Palma’s recordings include diverse offerings, from works by Elliott Carter and Charles Wuorinen to Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle with the Metropolitan Opera, and recordings with Kathleen Battle, Rogers Waters, Wayne Shorter and Sting. As a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, he has recorded more than fifty CDs on the Deutsche Grammophon label, including a Grammy Award-winning CD of works by Igor Stravinsky.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Palma studied with Frederick Zimmermann, Robert Brennand, Orin O’Brien, and Homer Mensch.

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