Zoë Palmer BSO Associate Musician, Somerset
Zoë trained at the Royal College of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she became fellow and visiting professor of creative writing. As a librettist she has collaborated with contemporary music composers including Dani Howard, Laura Bowler, Samantha Fernando, Ruth Chan and Danny Saleeb and has an ongoing collaborative relationship with Thomas Cabaniss and Moving Star ensemble at Carnegie Hall. Her work has been performed by singers including Iestyn Davies, Peter Brathwaite and Anna Dennis and programmed across the UK + internationally at venues including Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Minnesota Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, The Royal Opera House, Den Jyske Opera and The National Theatre of Manheim.
Zoë turned to writing text for music after years struggling to recover her singing voice due to the debilitating effects of CPTSD. She now views this as a superpower that allows her to support others to embrace imperfection and sing from a place of authenticity. She was a founding member of Woven Gold choir and has lead creative workshops across the UK in a wide range of settings – she loves creating safe playful spaces that allow people to explore and discover their own voice and music.
Zoë spent almost 10 years working with Spitalfields Music and latterly Creative Futures in residence at the Royal London Hospital. She was co-lead musician on Music and motherhood, a research project lead by The RCM which investigated the effects of singing on perinatal mental health and has continued this work in collaboration with Creative Futures and St. Mary’s Paddington.
She is based in Frome, Somerset and works across the UK and Europe.
She is currently developing live immersive performances and installation with sound artist Keir Vine feature electroacoustic sound, text, field recordings, voice and dramaturgy exploring emergence, collective imagination, grief and rest vis-à-vis our relationship with the more than human world. She is delighted to be a BSO associate.