Ben Palmer is artistic director of Covent Garden Sinfonia and chief conductor of the Orchestra da Camera di Pordenone and Babylon Orchester Berlin. From 2017–24 he was chief conductor of the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck. As a guest, he has conducted the Aalborg Symphony, Arctic Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, London Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony (including at the BBC Proms), and BBC Symphony. Debuts this season include the London Philharmonic, Munich Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Odense Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony with these performances.

Personally authorized by John Williams to conduct his film scores in concert, and acclaimed by Hans Zimmer, Palmer is a specialist in conducting films live to picture. With a repertoire of more than 50 movies, ranging from silent films such as Metropolis and Modern Time to Star Wars and Top Gun: Maverick, he appears regularly at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He is regularly invited to conduct recording sessions for leading film and television productions, with clients including Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music, 20th Century Studios, Studiocanal, the London Symphony, and Sony Classical.