Home | Meet the Symphony | Conductors

• Nicolas Palmer
• Jay S. Gephart

Nicholas Palmer

 Conductor

Nicholas Palmer has been widely recognized for his compelling performances and emotional connection to audiences and is regarded as one of the most talented conductors on the scene today. His strong commitment to education and building new audiences has garnered him much praise.

 Maestro Palmer — Music Director of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra in Kentucky, the Lafayette Symphony in Indiana and the Evening Under the Stars Music Festival in Massachusetts — has been called a "brilliant young music director" by Leonard Slatkin of the National Symphony Orchestra. Palmer was a recipient of the Helen M. Thompson Award from the American Symphony Orchestra League as the nation’s most outstanding young music director.

 Under Nicholas Palmer’s leadership the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra (OSO) has developed one of the nation’s leading education programs with over 25 different series for young people and adults.  New and innovative programs such as Arts Teach Kids concerts, Sounds of the Symphony, Backstage with the Symphony, Symphony Safari, Classic Encounters, Family Cushion Concerts, Concert Curators, as well as private and class musical instruction at the OSO Academy have brought classical music to thousands of new people.

The OSO’s remarkably high artistic level has been widely praised: “The Owensboro Symphony, under the direction of Nicholas Palmer, showed why they have been getting rave reviews” (Cincinnati Post). The extensive tours and outreach of the Owensboro Symphony, with artists such as LeAnne Rimes, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray and Amy Grant as well as its many recordings have also brought orchestral music to countless numbers of first time listeners.

A favorite guest conductor in Europe, Palmer recently conducted the Europa Philharmonie at the Hardinsburg Castle near Berlin, toured with the Orchestra di San Remo for two weeks in Italy and led concerts with the Czech Radio Orchestra at the Prague and Nelahozeves Castles celebrating the music of George Gershwin. The German press hailed Palmer’s conducting as “a musical high point with world class flair” and Radio Suisse Romande in Switzerland noted Palmer’s: “great professionalism with unity and verve”. Palmer has also led the West Bohemia Symphony, Sophia Symphony, Milano Classico Orchestra and Lausanne Symphony. Upcoming highlights include performances with the National Philharmonic of Moldova and I Soloisti di Perugia in Italy.

As a Pops conductor, Palmer has won rave reviews with the Nashville Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Tucson Symphony Boulder Philharmonic, and the Virginia Symphony, among others.  Palmer has worked with many top Pops performers including Clay Aiken, George Shearing, Al Hirt, Classical Mystery Tour, BJ Thomas, Nancy Griffith, Roger Williams and many others.  The Boulder Daily Camera noted:  "(Palmer) is intensely musical, communicates well and easily with the orchestra and manages to share the entire musical experience with the audience in a meaningful way."

Nicholas Palmer has led concerts with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Louisville Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Quad Cities Symphony, Greenville Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Billings Philharmonic and other orchestras across the nation. In addition to his appointments in Owensboro and Lafayette, Palmer has been the Music Director of the Dubuque Symphony as well as the Nashville Ballet and Heartland Ballet.  As an Opera Conductor he has led productions with the Boston Summer Opera, Harvard University Opera, Goldovsky Opera Company, University of Kentucky Opera Theater, Chicago Light Opera Works, and the Jacksonville Opera.

Palmer is also Conductor Laureate of the Altoona Symphony where he was Music Director from 1996-2007. The American Symphony Orchestra League mentioned the Altoona Symphony in Symphony Magazine as the “Leading U.S. Small City Symphony” and Fanfare Magazine noted: “The Altoona Symphony, a 70-piece orchestra from Central Pennsylvania, plays with a confidence once unimaginable outside a major metropolis."  Under Palmer’s leadership the Altoona Symphony has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., developed a nationally recognized Composer-in-Residence Program and has recorded for Albany Records.

A native of Hingham, Massachusetts, Palmer graduated cum laude from Harvard University and received his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Iowa, respectively. He also has studied at the Juilliard School, Pierre Monteux Domaine School, Aspen Music School, the Festival at Sandpoint, and the Academia Chigiana in Italy, where he was a student of Franco Ferrara and Carlo Maria Giulini.

Nick and Dorothy Palmer have four boys: Nicholas, Daniel, Alexander and Oliver and live on a farm outside of Owensboro, Kentucky.

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Jay S. Gephart

 Associate Conductor
Jay S. Gephart joined the faculty of Purdue University in the fall of 1995 after having completed 12 years as a public school band director. In July of 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Professor Gephart serves as Director of the Purdue University Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra, coordinator of the concert band program and music director for the orchestra program.

Mr. Gephart received a Master of Music Degree in Performance with High Distinction from Indiana University in 1988 and a Bachelor of Music Education Degree with Distinction from Indiana University in 1983. He taught in the public schools in Georgia, Illinois and Indiana where his ensembles received numerous honors and awards at various concert and jazz festivals. His Purdue Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra have shared the stage with some of the nation’s outstanding soloists and have represented Purdue at the Indiana Music Educator’s Association state convention on two occasions. He has served as a guest conductor, clinician, lecturer and adjudicator both nationally and internationally. In 1997, he was selected to conduct the music camp honor band for the Department of Education in the Northern Region of Queensland, Australia.

In 1998, Professor Gephart received the "New Professional Award" from the Vice President of Student Services for his outstanding work in Purdue Bands. In 2001, Professor Gephart was recognized with the Indiana Outstanding Bandmaster Award by the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu.

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