Paul Cutlan

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet & Bass Clarinet

photo credit: Matthew Stanton

Paul has been a member of the Australian Art Orchestra since 1997. His career as a versatile multi-instrumentalist spans many different styles encompassing contemporary classical music, world music and jazz.

Paul graduated from the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in 1987 with Honours in Composition. After freelancing with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, he moved to Sydney in 1989, where he worked with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Notable jazz artists/ensembles with whom Paul has played include Jann Rutherford, Original Otto Orchestra, Ten Part Invention, James Morrison, Judy Bailey, Steve Hunters' Nine Lives, Craig Scott Quintet, Clarion Fracture Zone and Wanderlust. International acts with whom he has performed include Lou Reed, Bobby Previte, Jim McNeely, James Newton, Jerry Lewis and Michael Bublé.

In 1997 Paul joined world/jazz group and is featured on their ARIA winning album Live in Europe. With them he has been on numerous European, North American and Asian tours and for Musica Viva he frequently performs school shows Australia wide.

Cutlan’s own group Coltrane Project has been frequently recorded by the ABC in the studio and live in concert.

In 2003 he composed the music for and performed in the acclaimed theatre production Birth of the Cool for the Sydney Festival, celebrating the lives and poetry of the “Beat Generation” of American poets of the 1940s and ‘50s. Subsequent seasons were at the Seymour Centre and Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005.

Since 2007 Paul led a trio at the Paris Quartier d’été, has co-produced the album Simpatico with fellow saxophonist Andrew Robson, and played in various shows such as Guys and Dolls and Wicked.

Earlier this year Paul performed with fellow Australian Art Orchestra member, Erkki Veltheim, in Neil Armfield’s farewell production of Diary of a Madman which featured Geoffrey Rush in Sydney and New York seasons. While continuing to perform Paul is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Composition at Sydney Conservatorium.