David Palmer (b. 1997) is a London-based composer and pianist specialising in 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. Alongside a busy performance schedule, David teaches at the University of Oxford, where he is a College Lecturer in Music at Keble College, and at the Royal College of Music Junior Department.

David studied piano with Rolf Hind and Ronan O’Hora on the Master’s and Artist Diploma programmes at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he received the Deputy Chair’s Prize and a Concert Recital Diploma for exceptional performance, before serving as a Junior Fellow at GSMD. David also read music at Oxford, where he was president of the music and chamber music societies, graduating with a first-class BA. He has studied composition with Richard Barrett, Robert Saxton and Matthew Sergeant.

David was a 2022-23 Britten Pears Young Artist, a 2024 Leeds Lieder Young Artist, and participated in the 2024 Ensemble Modern Young Ensemble Academy with Mad Song. With soprano Bridget Esler, David won three prizes at the 13th Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice-Piano Competition. David’s repertoire includes concertos by Berg, Finnissy, Stravinsky and Xenakis, as well as major 20th-century piano works such as Boulez’s Second Sonata, Nono’s ….. sofferte onde serene …, and Murail’s Territoires d’oubli. David has appeared multiple times on BBC Radio 3.

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