Paul Cantelon, born in Los Angeles, California, started his musical career as a violinist, making his debut at the age of thirteen at Royce Hall. Soon after hearing reclusive pianist, Donalee Reubenet, he began his intensive piano studies.

At fifteen, Paul started his studies with legendary pianist Vlado Perelemuter, at the Paris Conservatory and began his concert career as a pianist. After a very serious bicycle accident at seventeen, which left him in a coma for a month only to emerge with significant amnesia, Paul began what would prove to be a most unusual evolution as a composer. He signed a recording contract with Capitol Records and released a solo piano record of Celtic hymns titled, “In the Morning Early”.

After studying under Jakob Latiener at the Juilliard School and Dame Mary
Berry at Trinity College, Cambridge, Paul began extensive touring in the Far East in support of his second solo piano record of all original compositions titled, “Paul Cantelon Solo Piano” for the Nippon Columbia label.

In the early 90’s, Paul formed the eclectic band, Wild Colonials, with singer, Angela McCluskey, recording two albums for Geffen Records and performing with such artists as Joe Cocker, The Kinks, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, Rickie Lee Jones, King Crimson and Ry Cooder. The Wild Colonials recorded two albums for Geffen, selling in excess of 500,000 units.

In 1995, after composing a special centenary score for the Eisenstein classic silent film, Battleship Potemkin, Paul finished a new collection of works for solo piano and piano trio, opening the Montreux Jazz Festival. These works were met with much critical acclaim from artists as diverse as Pete Townsend, Chick Corea and Phillip Glass.

World-renowned cellist, Yo Yo Ma, recently accompanied Paul for an exclusive performance of Paul’s original compositions, as well as works from the standard cello/piano repertoire. Paul’s recent venture into film composing includes the films Everything is Illuminated, the award winning The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Sony’s blockbuster The Other Boleyn Girl, Oliver Stone’s W, New York, I Love You, and Tony Goldwyn’s Conviction.