PUSEY
HOUSE
oxford

Ian Palmer began his musical life as a Chorister at Manchester Cathedral, ascending the greasy pole to become Head Chorister in his final year. Attending Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, upon the breaking his voice, he switched allegiance to the piano, studying with Raymond Burrill and Manola Hatfield, and once attempting Cesar Frank’s Symphonic Variations and Finzi’s Eclogue. He branched out as a Chamber musician, studying with two legendary figures - the late Christopher Rowland (Fitzwilliam Quartet) and the late Roger Bigley (Lindsay Quartet) – setting up a piano trio, which caused quite a stir around the turn of the millennium, recording and touring extensively across Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. The trio disbanded in 2002 due to a personal disagreement with the cellist; a disagreement which was happily resolved in 2015, at Durdle Door.

Ian has also performed widely as an accompanist of both song and instrumental works. In the former capacity, he played at the Wigmore Hall, accompanying a Masterclass delivered by the great mezzo soprano Christa Ludwig, and in the latter he accompanied the aforementioned cellist in the Pitville Pump Rooms as part of the International Cheltenham Music Festival, a performance that was almost broadcast live on BBC R3. He once accompanied the musical theatre chanteuse Elaine Paige at a private party hosted by the then Master of Trinity College Cambridge, Amartya Sen.

As an organist, Ian is entirely self-taught, for which fact he apologizes to his audience today. This has not prevented him, however, from performing in such illustrious places as Manchester Cathedral, Rochdale Town Hall, St Clement’s Spotland, Bolton Town Hall, St Michael’s Bamford, Christ Church Healey Dell, St Lawrence South Hinksey and, occasionally, at Pusey House when the need is desperate. It is possible that he holds the world record for the longest stint of continual organ playing, arising from a wedding he once played at, at which the bride-to-be, whilst en route, accidentally stabbed herself with a hat pin and was rushed to hospital. However, Guinness was not around to verify this. Today’s recital is his first (and final) public recital since 2011.