Orchestra Kingston is a community orchestra located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Since 2008, we have been performing concerts that feature a wide range of musical genres, with a special focus on Canadian composers. We often perform in collaboration with other community ensembles and professional soloists. We provide an opportunity for amateur musicians in the Kingston area to play orchestral repertoire under the baton of a professional music director, and to develop their skills as orchestral players in a relaxed but dedicated environment.
We need violins, violas and double bass players urgently. Please contact John Palmer by email: john.wn.palmer@gmail.com
Conductor and composer John Palmer joined the orchestra as its music director in the orchestra’s first season. He is a retired high school teacher and works at home composing, arranging and teaching low brass, theory and harmony. He has been a trombone instructor at National Music Camp of Canada, and it was in that capacity that John began to write arrangements and compositions for the Faculty Brass Ensemble at the camp. They commissioned him to write Lakeside Fanfare for the 40th anniversary of the camp and since then his compositions and arrangements have been performed regularly at NMC.
The Humboldt Brass Chamber Music Workshop held annually at the State University in Arcata, California has awarded John the 1st prize for their composition competition for 7 of the past 8 years.
John’s brass arrangements and compositions are published by Solid Brass Music Inc. , and flute choir works by Nourse Wind Publications. Two of his major flute ensemble works have been performed at the National Flute Association Conferences and recorded by the Columbia Flute Choir. Orchestral, Wind Ensemble, Band and other repertoire that John has composed are archived at the Canadian Music Centre where he is an Associate Composer.
His original compositions and arrangements have been performed by Orchestra Kingston, BrassWerks, Queen’s University Wind Ensemble, The Kingston Symphony, The Mississauga Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deep River Symphony Orchestra….among others.