Schwob School of Music Celebrates Dr. Bradley Palmer’s 25 Years at Columbus State University with Concert on March 10

Written by Ivan Garcia

On March 10, Columbus State University is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Dr. Bradley Palmer as the trombone professor at the Schwob School of Music. Dr. Palmer is one of only a few faculty members at The Schwob School with a career that goes beyond twenty-five years.

Dr. Bradley Palmer earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Millikin University, his master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and earned his DMA from the Florida State University. He has performed as a soloist on many stages around the world and performs regularly with orchestras in the southeast including LaGrange Symphony, where he holds the principal trombone chair since 2003; as well as with the Alabama, Atlanta, Columbus, Jacksonville, and Macon Symphonies and the Savannah Philharmonic. In addition, he has performed for seven International Trombone Festivals, has hosted the 2013 and 2021 Festivals at The Schwob School, and presents master classes regularly. He also conducts the Schwob Trombone Ensemble at CSU, and can be heard as soloist on Summit Records.

Besides his performing and teaching career, Dr. Palmer devotes his time producing and arranging music. He has made arrangements for trombone ensemble which are published by Cherry Classics. As a producer and recording engineer he has recorded brass players form the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh and Seattle Symphonies, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the New York Philharmonic and musicians from the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, that resulted in more than 20 productions in Legacy Hall, one of the three concert halls in the River Center for the Performing Arts, in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Palmer is a S.E. Shires Performing Artist, and serves as the Chair of the International Trombone Association Executive Board as well as the Vice President of the International Trombone Festival Board.

Dr. Bradley Palmer remembers his first approach to music with his brother playing in his grandmother’s home while she used to teach piano lessons. He started as a trumpet player in fifth grade and switched to trombone in eight grade. Having a great experience with band in high school, he was inspired to make music his professional career. After one year as a Music Education major he switched to Commercial Music, a degree that studies the fields of performance and recording. During these years the desire of pursuing a career as a college teacher and performer appeared, creating afterwards, a balance between these activities that complement his professional life. One of the most rewarding highlights for him during his career is having a long list of students that are successful as professional musicians as well as in other careers. Other important highlights include performing in a trombone choir with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a performance with a John Williams music program with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra which was conducted by the renowned American composer John Williams and having the film director Steven Spielberg as narrator. Dr. Palmer enjoys playing with other Schwob Faculty members and colleagues, which has allowed them to tour and perform together on several stages. He and his trombone colleagues are celebrating fifteen years of the Southeast Trombone Symposium at the Schwob School this year.

Likely his favorite musical experiences have been with the Schwob Trombone Ensemble, a high-level ensemble he conducts at the Schwob School with a long history of recordings, collaborations and performances in Germany, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Washington D.C. among others, and a large number of music festivals.“One of the things that I think I will be most proud of when I do finally retire (no time soon, don’t worry!) is the fact we have been at the forefront of the creation of an enormous amount of music written for trombone ensemble,” said Palmer.

The following questions express other important thoughts and experiences during Dr. Palmer’s career.

Dr. Brad Palmer

Q: What does it mean to you these 25 years as a professor at The Schwob School of

Music?

A: When I started teaching at CSU I was a 24-year old adjunct professor commuting from Tallahassee every Friday. At that time I had no expectations of teaching here for even 5 years, but now I am in year 26 and might just be here for the rest of my career. The job went full-time after my second year here, just as the RiverCenter was being completed, and my position here at Schwob has turned into a situation where I would be hard pressed to find a better one in the country. I was in the right place at the right time and am very grateful for the opportunities I have had.

Q: What are some challenges you have faced as a college professor?

A: It is almost impossible not to grow close with students that you are able to teach and mentor one-on-one every week for several years. I have loved sharing in the successes and life events of my current and former students, including weddings, children, and of course their successes in the field of music such as winning jobs, competitions, and grad school placement. And sometimes it is just celebrating a great concert, recital, or just a really outstanding performance in studio class. But just as in life, you have to take the good along with the bad. The sudden death of my student Giselle Ortiz ranks by far the hardest thing I have had to face as a college professor. No one can prepare you for that, and learning how to deal with it myself and also be there for my grieving students was very difficult. Credit to the CSU Counseling Center for their professional help in this situation and so many more over the years.

Q: From your perspective, how has The Schwob School impacted the musical careers of the students?

A: The Schwob School has impacted the musical careers of students in innumerable ways. Of course there is the practical training they receive, but also the opportunity to interact with a diverse collection of thinkers that is represented in the faculty. They have benefitted from some of the most caring and professional staff members as well. They have learned how to work independently as well as collaboratively. I’ve seen so many examples of how these experiences at Schwob have prepared students for the absolute highest level musical careers, but also careers outside of music. We are just as proud of our graduates that have decided to go different directions with their lives, including the medical field, finance, ministry, and so many more. I am proud of the fact that we offer a well-rounded education at an affordable price, that of course teaches very music-specific skills and concepts, but also critical thinking, self discipline, and so many other skills that are applicable in a music career and transferrable to a different field.

Q: How has The Schwob School impacted the artistic community in Columbus?

A: Having been on the Schwob faculty longer than all but just a couple of my colleagues, I have seen a HUGE change in the artistic community here in Columbus, and a large part of that growth can be traced to the Schwob School of Music, and specifically since our move to River Center. When we moved into River Center in 2001 it felt like we were on an artistic island. Since then, our colleagues and students from Art and Theater joined us, the Springer was renovated, the Columbus Symphony moved out of Three Arts Theater, along with other positive developments in the arts. It is my belief that the Schwob School, and specifically the move downtown, was a major driver for the cultural developments we’ve seen over my 25+ years here, along with the economic development that has come along with that. Ask anyone that has been here for a while, Uptown Columbus is not what it used to be!

Q: Now looking at the program for the upcoming concert on March 10th, what are your impressions about Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto?

A: The piece was premiered in 2018 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the low brass section (many of whom are my friends) had a part in the creation of the piece working with Higdon. My favorite quote in that process is from CSO [Chicago Symphony Orchestra] principal trombonist Jay Friedman who described his input to Higdon this way: “My main concern was that it be a serious piece of music and not a showpiece for large-sized animals.” I’ve met Jennifer and performed her music with the Atlanta Symphony more than once. Robert Spano [Orchestra conductor] in particular was a champion of her music, having performed and recorded much of it with the ASO [Atlanta Symphony Orchestra]. I do have to be honest though, since it is a new work and has not been performed too often this will be my first time hearing the work live. In requesting that Professor [Paul] Hostetter [Director of orchestral activities at The Schwob School] program it, I was very excited to feature my tuba colleague Dr. Alex Avila and three of my former students who are out playing professionally: Dr. Evan Williams (Assistant Principal, National Symphony Orchestra) BM ’15, Masa Ohtake (Alabama Symphony) AD ’21 and Christopher Bassett (Bass Trombone, San Francisco Symphony) MM ’24

Q: What advice would you give to students that are pursuing a musical career as performers or educators?

A: My advice would be to go for it. Having a “job” where you get paid to do what you love to do can’t be beat. Music has led me to meet some of the most wonderful humans I could have ever imagined knowing. Of course you could make far more money in fields outside of music, and while that certainly is a consideration, I hope it does not stop you from chasing your dreams and doing what you love. There are challenges of self-doubt, financial challenges, rejection at auditions/interviews, and numerous other hurdles. I have been so fortunate to have a supportive family that puts up with the sound of the trombone at 7:15 EVERY MORNING, along with what is sometimes a very crazy schedule of teaching, performing, and traveling. So my other advice is that I hope you will feel comfortable in sharing with your family, friends, partner, etc. that this is something you love and that you want it to be a big part of your life. It takes a LONG time in many cases to be able to consider yourself “successful” in music (however you define that) and it is sometimes a very hard road to go down. If you love music, and the people around you love you, then it seems everyone is on board for the journey. So go for it!

The Schwob Philharmonic Orchestra

The Schwob Philharmonic Orchestra Concert

The program for the concert on March 10th is free to the public, as all the performances at the Schwob School, and includes the piece Santa Cruz de Pacairigua by Venezuelan composer Evencio Castellanos, an exciting piece that explores the traditional Venezuelan music, their particular rhythms and interesting harmonies which are brought to the symphony orchestra setting and deliver music full of dynamism and character contrasts. Castellanos is followed by the Low Brass Concerto, by American composer Jennifer Higdon, which as Dr. Palmer mentioned before, will feature four outstanding soloists, three of them former Schwob students: Evan Williams, Masa Ohtake and Chris Basset, and one Schwob faculty, Dr. Alex Avila.

The third piece on the program is the Symphony No. 2 by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, a symphony in four movements written while Sibelius was in Italy at the beginning of the 1900s and premiered on March 8th, 1902. This symphony was immediately adopted a symbol of the national liberation of Finland or as called during those years, The Grand Duchy of Finland, when the Russian Empire established a policy aimed to incorporate those territories to the Empire.

The concert will conclude with the finale from the 1st Symphony by Russian composer Vasily Kalinnikov, with a trombone choir comprised of former CSU trombone students who will join the orchestra honoring the 25 years of Dr. Bradley Palmer as Trombone Professor at Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music. ◼️

If You Go:

The concert honoring Dr. Bradley Palmer begins at 6:30PM on March 10, 2025 with a RiverCenter lobby concert featuring over 50 current and former students, conducted by Dr. Palmer. The Schwob Philharmonic Concert begins at 7:30PM in Legacy Hall. Admission, as always, is free.

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