Introducing the Soldiers of Soldier's Tale: Chris Paul, Trombone

Christopher Paul holds a bachelor’s degree and Graduate Diploma in Trombone Performance from the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where he studied with James Box. During his time at McGill, Chris was a member of the McGill Symphony Orchestra (MGSO), and the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME), participating in tours with both ensembles. An enthusiast of new music, Chris was a featured soloist with the McGill CME, performing Franck Bedrossians’s, Division, as well as commissioning a new piece for solo trombone by Oren Boneh, titled Behind the Forget-Me-Nots, as well as studying free improvisation with Guillaume Bourgogne. During the summer of 2017, Chris was in residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as an orchestra member and actor in the unique stage adaptation of Claude Vivier's opera, Kopernikus.

Are you originally from Montreal? If not what brought you to the city?

I am not from Montreal, I'm originally from Glenville, New York, a small town near Albany. I came to Montreal study at McGill University back in 2013, and to get a taste of the city after living in the country for most of my life. 

What non-musical interests and hobbies do you have?

Aside from music, I really enjoy writing, be it my own stories, or reading others.  I also enjoy visual art and watching animation, I think both of those art forms are extremely fascinating. Aside from those, I also enjoy watching sports, such as eSports and soccer. 

Do you have any funny or strange performance stories?

Nothing particuarlly funny performance wise that I can think of as of now. As for strange though, I recently played a concert that involved a piece where I was canoed around in a pond while I was playing. That was definetly a new experience for me!

How did you come to play your chosen instrument?

I started playing the trombone when I was 12 years old, though I originally wanted to play percussion! The trombone came about because my band teacher at that time looked at me and said he didn't need any more percussion players, and since I had long arms, that I should play trombone. I swear, band teachers have an instict to find the right instrument for their students. 

Interested in seeing this amazingly awesome trombonist rock out to some Stravinsky? You can catch him and the rest of the Soldiers Tale team at La Sala Rossa, August 29th at 8pm. Tickets are available at the door but if you want to be sure that you catch Chris grab your tickets in advance at the link below! (P.S. It is a 10% discount for those who purchase their tickets online!)

Click here for tickets

We will be posting regular updates to introduce you to these amazing Montreal musicians, stay posted for additional peeks behind the scenes of Verisimo's production of Soldier's Tale.