Geoff Palmer & Frauke Jürgensen

At this event, we will hear a sample of Geoff's Palmer's songs for soprano and cello from Unidentified Edges which was premièred in Toronto in 2017. In addition, we will hear some sumptuous melodies by Fauré for cello and piano, some well-known unaccompanied cello music and a selection of folk melodies from as far apart as Ireland, Spain and Russia, which we hope will melt your hearts. 

Geoff Palmer has had a long career as a cellist and what he describes as a jobbing composer, writing music for soloists, ensembles and orchestras in the British Isles, Europe and North America. As a composer he won top prizes in composing competitions held by Classic CD, Music Haven and the English Poetry and Song Society. His career as a cellist has been geographically less wide-ranging but equally fulfilling. Since moving to Aberdeenshire, he has performed all the solo suites by Bach and Britten, together with well-loved cello favourites and much contemporary music, at The University of Aberdeen and other venues in the city. He plays an early French cello made by Louis Guersan in Paris in 1753. 

Frauke Jürgensen studied at the University of Western Ontario and at McGill University in Montréal and was a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen until 2023. She is now Professor of Music Theory at the University for Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna where she researches historical performance and compositional practice. As a singer, she performs a wide range of repertoire from late-medieval to contemporary music. 

The pianist Imogene Newland has performed with the Silfurberg Ensemble in East Iceland, Avanti Trio in Aberdeen and as part of the two pianos duo KLAT[S]CH with Bob Gilmore. She has recorded with Channel 4 and RSI Icelandic State Television. She gained a PhD from the Sonic Arts Research Centre and the much-coveted Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music, under the tutelage of Joseph Long and Nigel Clayton.