Paul Ellison (born October 17, 1941) is co-principal bass at the Grand Teton Festivals, and is Professor of

Double Bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universit ...

Shepherd School of Music The Shepherd School of Music is a music school located on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas. From its inception in 1974Ericson, R."Unafraid, a New Music School Opens; NOT JUST MOSTLY MOZART" ''The New York Times'', March 10, 1974 ...

. He was also on the faculty of The Colburn School Conservatory of Music in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. Mr. Ellison enjoyed 23 years as principal bass of the

Houston Symphony Orchestra The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, ...

, several years as principal double bass of the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a newl ...

, and seven years as chair of strings at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

. His college degrees include a B.M.E. (1965)

Eastern New Mexico University Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU or Eastern) is a public university with a main campus in Portales, New Mexico, and two associate degree-granting branches, one at Ruidoso and one at Roswell. ENMU is New Mexico's largest regional comprehensiv ...

and an M.M. (1966)

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

. He also makes annual appearances at the Royal College of Music, London, the

Yehudi Menuhin School The Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, England, founded in 1963 by violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. The current director of music is the British classical pianist Ashley Wass. The school is one ...

of Music and Caroline Emery's annual Bass Club Summer School, where students have the benefit of his experience to help them achieve a pathway to the musical profession. With former students holding prominent positions in orchestras and schools worldwide, Ellison holds the first Diploma and Teaching Certificate awarded by the Institute Rabbath in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

and is past president of the International Society of Bassists. Paul Ellison continues to be a great influence in the realm of string pedagogy as he influences young players internationally travelling to Australia,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, and throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. See the

Australian String Academy Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal ...

for an example.

Notable students and associates

Sébastien Dubé Sébastien Dubé (born 3 September 1966 in Québec, Canada) is an upright bassist known from several international classical orchestras and jazz ensembles. Career After picking up the upright bass, Dubé attended musical studies at the Conse ...

Hal Robinson Harold Hall ("Hal") Robinson (born July 29, 1952Birth records
of < ...

External links

Paul Ellison bass workshop in Australia
* http://www.music.rice.edu/facultybios/ellison.shtml * http://doublebassblog.org/2007/06/advice-from-paul-ellison-professor-of-double-bass-rice-university.html Classical double-bassists Texas classical music Musicians from Santa Fe, New Mexico Eastern New Mexico University alumni Bienen School of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty Rice University faculty Living people 1941 births 21st-century double-bassists {{US-classical-musician-stub