About

Riley Palmer is a Percussionist and Drummer based in New York City, playing in a wide range of musical settings, from Contemporary Music, to Musical Theatre, Orchestras, and everything in between.

Recent collaborations have included The Philip Glass Ensemble, Bang On A Can, The Orchestra of the League of Composers, Talujon Percussion, as well as the Grammy-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus. 2025-2026 Season highlights include performances at The Dolby Theater in LA, New York City Center, the Fisher Center at Bard College, and the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome.

In Musical Theatre, Riley can be heard in many pits as a drummer and percussionist On and Off-Broadway as well as in cabarets at 54 Below, Green Room 42, and others in the New York area.

Active in the contemporary music scene, he has worked with many living composers including Eve Beglarian, Eli Greenhoe, Michael Gordon, Nicole Lizeé, Steve Reich, Joan Tower, and Julia Wolfe.

Riley is also an active educator - click the “Teaching” page to learn more.

Riley completed his musical studies at the Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, and Mannes School of Music in NYC. Previous teachers include Michael Burritt, Joseph Gramley, and Maya Gunji for percussion, as well as hand drumming with Glen Velez and drum set with Kendrick Scott.