Paul van der Sloot

Cellist Paul van der Sloot joined the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 2025. 

Paul has received top prizes in numerous major competitions, including the Johansen International Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the Shean Strings Competition, the Morningside Music Bridge Concerto and Chamber Competitions, the National Music Festival of Canada, and the Rose Bowl grand prize at Calgary’s Kiwanis Festival. He has performed as a soloist on multiple occasions with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Civic Symphony. 

As an orchestral musician, Paul has served as principal cellist with the Ontario Philharmonic and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, performing under the direction of conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Earl Lee, Joshua Weilerstein, and Johannes Debus. 

He holds degrees and diplomas from the University of Calgary, The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and the Mount Royal University Conservatory. His principal mentors include Hans Jørgen Jensen, Andrés Díaz, Joseph Johnson, Paul Katz, and John Kadz. He is grateful to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their generous support throughout his studies. 

A dedicated educator, Paul has taught cello since high school. He has appeared as a guest artist-in-residence at the Mount Royal University Conservatory’s Academy and Advanced Performance Programs, as well as at the Royal Conservatory’s Taylor Academy and Oscar Peterson School. Paul holds an ARCT in String Pedagogy from the Royal Conservatory of Music and is certified in the Suzuki Method. 

Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Paul is an avid outdoorsman who has climbed, skied, and hiked over 400 unique mountain summits in the Canadian Rockies. He is currently pursuing Colorado’s “Fourteeners” list and spends the majority of his free time seeking adventure in the mountains.