The Peninsula Symphonic Band and Swingin' Door Big Band will play to a different beat in 2027 after the organization announced two new music directors who will replace Jason Palmer on the conductor's podium.
Bruce Briney will serve as music director of the Peninsula Symphonic Band, while Anthony Williams will lead the Swingin' Door Big Band.
Briney has performed with the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra for the past 30 years and currently serves as conductor of the Quincy Symphony Orchestra in Illinois. He also taught at Western Illinois University after earning degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois.
Williams has served as an adjunct music lecturer in the Department of Creative and Festival Arts at the University of the West Indies. He has also served as a music adjudicator for the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival, the National Parang Association's adult and school competitions, and other events.
Former Peninsula Symphonic Band director and current member Paula Eggert thanked Palmer for helping grow the ensemble and expressed confidence that Briney and Williams will continue that progress.
"The Peninsula Symphonic Band grew significantly during Jason's tenure, and the addition of the Swingin' Door Big Band allowed the bands to reach a broader audience," Eggert said. "Dr. Briney and Mr. Williams will allow the bands to continue excelling musically and to continue building our impact in Door County."
Palmer announced last December that 2026 would be his final year leading the Peninsula Symphonic Band and Swingin' Door Big Band.
He will share the baton with his successors during upcoming concerts. Briney will conduct a march during the Peninsula Symphonic Band's Veterans Day concert on Nov. 12, while Williams will lead the Swingin' Door Big Band in a jazz arrangement of a Christmas carol during its holiday concert on Dec. 10.
