Acclaimed cellist Paul Wiancko made his Los Angeles solo debut at age 16 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. He has since been a featured performer at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Irvine Barclay Theater, Thorne Hall, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In 2006, Paul received the grand prize at the Pasadena Showcase Competition. Shortly after, he became the only American to be invited to compete in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Poland, where he was awarded 2nd Prize. He has won prizes at numerous other competitions, including John Walker, ASTA, and Debut. A recipient of the Los Angeles Spotlight Award, Paul has received scholarship awards from the Los Angeles Violoncello Society and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
Paul is currently the principal cellist of the Colburn Orchestra in Los Angeles. He has held the principal cello position in the Disney Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, the Colburn Chamber Orchestra, and, while pursuing a bachelor of music degree at the University of Southern California, in the USC Thornton Symphony. As an orchestral cellist, Paul has accompanied Yo-Yo Ma, Joseph Silverstein, Joshua Bell, and Christopher Parkening. A dedicated chamber musician as well, Paul has performed with Arnold Steinhardt, Midori Goto, Paul Coletti, Martin Chalifour, Ricardo Castro, Atonio Lysy, and members of the Ysaye String Quartet. His past coaches include Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Ronald Leonard, Yo-Yo Ma, Truls Mork, and members of the Guarneri and Juilliard String Quartets. Several of Paul's orchestral, chamber, and solo performances have been broadcast on American and Polish radio.
Aside from classical performance, Paul has garnered respect as an accomplished studio musician, composer, and producer. Capable of weaving his cellistry into any genre, Paul has produced and recorded a wide array of projects, including his own Hip-Hop Cello Concerto No. 1. In 2006, Paul founded LiveStringTheory, a recording studio devoted to the production of live strings in non-classical music. He has since collaborated with producers from around the country and has written and recorded strings for various albums, films, and commercials.
In 2007, Paul made his European and South American solo debuts, performing the Lutoslawki Cello Concerto with the Polish Radio Symphony in Warsaw and the Shostakovich Cello Concerto with the Bahia Symphony Orchestra in Brazil. Paul is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where he studies with Ronald Leonard.
Hip Hop Cello Concerto No. 1
Paul Wiancko's Hip Hop Cello Concerto No. 1 abides by the traditional setup of a classical concerto, only with a few modifications. Instead of a full orchestra, the role of the accompaniment is carried out by an lineup of amplified instrumentalists supplemented by programmed (computerized) instrumental tracks and beats.
The first movement, titled "Infection( A Little Something For Everyone)," features the solo cello as it frantically ushers the listener through several different styles of hip hop. A 5-minute clip from "Infection," the first movement of HHCC1, can be heard here.
Sequenza21: "Paul Wiancko’s Hip Hop Cello Concerto No. 1 is a terrific example of how when the composer understands both the hip hop and classical traditions and can write music that is simultaneously idiomatic to both styles, the result is surprising, fun, fresh, and even innovative...[Wiancko's] grasp of this hybrid area is clearly much stronger than most."
