Paul Williamson

Included in CBC Music's 2017 edition of "Top 30 Canadian Classical Musicians under 30", Paul Williamson is quickly establishing himself as one of Canada's promising young pianists. He is in demand as a soloist, collaborative artist, and teacher and has performed across Canada and the United States. 

Education

  • B.Mus, University of Manitoba 
  • M.Mus, The Colburn Conservatory of Music 
  • AD, The Colburn Conservatory of Music 

Performance Highlights

Williamson has performed across Canada and the United States in solo and collaborative settings. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and the Fraser Valley Symphony Orchestra. In concert, he has been featured by Valley Concert Society, Hornby Festival, the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg, Virtuosi Concert Series, and GroundSwell. He has performed alongside Julian Pellicano, Alexander Mickelthwate, Aiyun Huang, Orli Shaham, and Jim Walker. His festival appearances include Morningside Music Bridge, Aspen Music Festival and School, Scotia Festival of Music, Orford Academy, and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and School. He has performed in masterclasses for Eliso Virsaladze, Yefim Bronfman, Paul Lewis, Jean Yves-Thibaudet, and Yoheved Kaplinsky. 

Awards

Williamson is a first prize winner of the 2014 Canadian National Music Festival and the 2017 Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Association National Piano Competition where he also received three semifinal awards (for the best performances of Canadian, Chopin and Baroque compositions). He is also a prizewinner of the 2020 WMC McLellan Competition and a first prize winner of the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg annual scholarship competition. In his freshman year at the University of Manitoba, Williamson was a winner of both the annual concerto competition, and the Lawrence Genser Scholarship Competition (for the most outstanding undergraduate performer). He has also received scholarships from the BC Arts Council and the Manitoba Arts Council. 

Ongoing research and creative works

Williamson is in demand as a soloist, collaborative artist, and teacher. While at the Colburn Conservatory, he was a teaching fellow for the Jumpstart Young Musicians Program - an initiative which provides free lessons to underprivileged students from downtown Los Angeles. A committed advocate of new music, Williamson has been involved in several premieres of new works, and was a member of Colburn's Contemporary Ensemble. Most recently, he appeared as a guest artist for tonebase LIVE discussing modern music. As a member of the newly-formed Zyra Trio, Williamson along with violinist Gregory Lewis and cellist David Liam Roberts held a residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, where they recorded For Daniel by Joan Tower. Later this year, he will be recording a CD of solo piano works transcribed by Franz Liszt on the Naxos Music Label.