Balanced with her musical life, Colleen Palmer is a mother, teacher, and writer, focused on all aspects of the use of the voice: voice leadership, voice confidence, inspiration, personal health and purpose. For the past 3 years Colleen was adjunct professor at Helenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary, where she taught a class of her design: Voice Class: The technique and sacred art of singing for others. Having recently moved from Boston back to her home city of Spokane, Washington, Colleen is now working to expand her class to an online learning format to share her work with more people.
You can find some of Colleen's work at her websites colleenpalmerconsulting.com and colleenpalmermusic.com, and her occasional blogs practicaljoy.wordpress.com and askcolleen.wordpress.com.
Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Colleen Palmer began her training at the age of 10 in the Spokane Children’s Chorus led by Janet Gorman. Colleen continued her musical education under the direction and encouragement of Paul Brueggemeier at Ferris High School, and was introduced to the rigors of classical training by her powerfully committed voice teacher, the late Marjory Halvorson.
Colleen remained in Spokane for college, attending Whitworth University, and was fortunate to perform in seven operas with Spokane Opera, most notably as the high-kicking grizette Clo-Clo from Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow and as “the saucy, young” Bertha from Rossini’s Barber of Seville. While at Whitworth, Colleen received the Young Artist Award from the Allied Arts Festival, an incentive award at the Metropolitan Opera Regional Competition, was frequently featured as a soloist with the Whitworth Choir. As a student of the late Marjory Halvorson, Colleen was privelaged to sing for and learn from legendary classical singers such as Thomas Hampson, Frederica Von Stade, Robert Honeysucker, and Richard Miller.
Post Whitworth, Colleen studied with the late Miss Helen Hodam, receiving her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, Boston. Although rooted in the classical tradition of her studies, Colleen does sing just about everything. Ms. Palmer performs with her husband Jason Palmer, jazz trumpeter and composer, which has brought her voice to the Tanglewod Jazz festival, a cruise on the Caribbean, throughout clubs and festivals in New England, and yearly to France to work with Paris based Round Trip Trio. Colleen has played the role of curator, collaborator, promoter, designer, leader and follower in a variety of musical projects. Most recently she created an evening bouquet of music, from Mozart to Rodgers & Hart in collaboration with the Connoisseur Concerts' Wind Ensemble and singers Heather Peterson and Heather Parker, for “Mozart on a Summer’s Eve” in Spokane Washington. Colleen's great passion is working with singers and speakers alike to discover their complete voices and truly begin to communicate with their entire authentic being.
Notable performances include performing Johannes Brahms - Two Songs for Alto, Viola and Piano, Op. 91 with Allessandro Curri and Roberto Poli (live recording: Gestillte Sehnsucht and Geistliches Wiegenlied) the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Music at Mission Church Boston with organist Thomas Handel performing mezzo-soprano solo (live recording: Pie Jesu from the Durufle Requiem), the Highland Jazz Series in Newton which was recorded for NPR, performing with the Grace Kelly Quintet on the Jazz Party at Sea aboard the Norwegian Jewel, featured Soloist at several concerts with the Chopin Symposium, Weston Mass., Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Annunciation Cathedral Singers, For Lovers project with the Palmer Quintet at The Sahara Club, in touring France and Belgium with Jason Palmer and the Paris based Round Trip Trio (Recording: Come Rain or Come Shine), Mozart in the Park in Spokane Washington, and in Orsay and Paris France with Jason Palmer Ensemble.
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