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P
aul was
born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. After studying drums & percussion
at school, Paul attended several Jazz summer programs in London (England)
and Brussels (Belgium). He also attended the Classical Music Program
at England's prestigious Canford School of Music. After graduating
from high school with the school's music award, he moved to Canada
to pursue his musical career. At the age of 19, he graduated with
the performance-oriented Jazz Music Diploma with Honours from St.
Francis Xavier University. Following his military service in Ottawa,
with Canada's National Military Band of the Ceremonial Guard for the
'Changing of the Guard' ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Paul
moved to Toronto and attended the music programs at Humber
College for the Applied Arts (Jazz / Commercial Music Performance)
and the Harris Institute for the Arts (Music Business).
A
fter
23 years of drumming professionally, Paul has recorded on 20 CDs
(Cirque Du Soleil, McCauley, Solitudes), one DVD (Cirque Du Soleil’s
‘Varekai’), performed in two motion pictures (‘The X-Men’), three
videos (Justin Gray), and ten live television shows (The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kelly). He performed in
2,000- to 18,000-seat venues in Toronto on a regular basis backing
international artists and groups. He has performed in the pit orchestra
for 49 musical/theatre productions worldwide, numerous jazz/swing
big bands (Glen Miller Orchestra), and several pipe/marching bands
(Ontario Provincial Police Pipes and Drums, Governor-General’s
Horse Guards, Royal
Regiment of Canada). Paul also performed as a timpanist with
Symphony Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, the Etobicoke
Philharmonic, the Scarborough Philharmonic, and the Mississauga
Symphony Orchestra. He is on the musical staff of five cruise lines
including Princess Cruises.
His touring/cruising experience has brought him to more than 79
countries on 6 continents.
U
p until
2001, Paul taught privately for several years and conducted percussion
seminars in schools all over Toronto. In the Spring of 2001, Paul
was hired as the featured drum set player with the Emmy-nominated/Tony
Award-winning Broadway Show ‘Blast!’
at Disney’s Epcot Centre in Orlando, Florida. In December 2001,
Paul passed world-wide auditions and joined Cirque
Du Soleil to tour North America with their brand new production
show ‘Varekai’. He performs over 400 shows a year to over one million
spectators with this Emmy-award winning show.
L
ast, Paul
is the author of "Level 42; the Phil Gould Years" drum transcription
book and is currently working on his second book entitled "The
Musician's Guide to Cruise Ship Gigging".
B
etween
his busy music schedule, Paul has used his knowledge of 5 languages
working as a Policy Advisor in the Minister's office for the Ontario
Government (6 Years), Manager of In-Flight Services, Flight Attendant
Instructor, and Company Aviation Safety/Security Officer with a VIP
charter airline (6 Years), uniformed Auxiliary Police Constable with
the Ontario Provincial Police (7 years), a Corporal in the Canadian
Armed Forces Primary Reserves (7 Years) and most recently as a paralegal in traffic and criminal court for X-Copper Legal Services. Paul has taken a
leave from all his activities to tour with Cirque
Du Soleil and pursue his musical career full-time.
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