Martin Palmer
Martin
Palmer has been the Society's Director of Music since September 2009. Since then, the choir has gone from strength to strength; the customary 3 annual concerts have expanded to 5, membership has grown to around 130, and our performances have received many accolades. Within the last few years, Martin has conducted the choir in Brahms German Requiem, Handel Messiah, Orff Carmina Burana, Mozart Requiem and Mendelssohn Elijah.Martin studied the organ, cello, composition and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, and took the University of London degree. Whilst at the RAM, he sang with the London Philharmonic Choir, gaining invaluable eperience working alongside many of the world's top conductors, orchestras and soloists. During his career he has founded many choral societies and chamber choirs.
Until his recent retirement, Martin was the Director of Music at Truro School, where he built up one of the largest and busiest music departments in the southwest. He is also the conductor of our affiliated orchestra, Truro Symphony Orchestra.
Now in his 16th year with the Society, Martin will hang up his baton as our Musical Director at the end of the summer term. He will leave a huge musical legacy for the Society and, sorry as we are that his tenure with us is drawing to a close, we send him all good wishes as he pursues yet more musical interests in Cornwall.
We are pleased to announce that Richard Osmond will succeed Martin as Musical Director. Richard moved to Cornwall in 2023 to become Director of Music at Truro School, following 26 years as Director of Music at three other independent schools. He has a lifelong love of singing; it was a school tour which led to his Damascene conversion to a career in music, since when he has always been both a conductor and members of choirs.
As a student, Richard spent two years as organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, and studied choral conducting with Iwan Edwards. He was then appointed organ scholar of Magdalene College Cambridge where he conducted the College chapel choir for four years, as well as founding and conducting the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra. Alongside his work in music education, he has always maintained a busy programme of community music-making, from conducting the Bristol University Symphonia for 18 years, to singing with City of Bristol Choir, Nova and St Albans Chamber Choir. He currently sings with St Mary's Singers and plays keys for the Groove Diggers.
