About

Paul Kawabe (b. 1997) is a Japanese-Canadian composer based in Toronto, Ontario. From a young age, Paul has had an affinity toward music, especially the piano. His early compositions on the instrument laid the foundation for his future musical endeavours. Since then, Paul's compositions have received recognition and praise from respected musical groups and audiences having been performed by ensembles like the Scarborough Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and The Bedford Trio. Currently, Paul is a composer fellow with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and his piece Seven Thousand Paper Cranes was given it's world premiere by the Orchestra's in November 2023. Paul holds a Master's degree in composition (2022) from The University of Toronto where he studied under the guidance of Professor Gary Kulesha. Additionally, Paul has participated in esteemed composition programs at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (2019), the Orford Music Academy (2020), and the New Generation Composer Program (2020) with the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. During these programs, he has had the chance to learn from gifted composers and teachers such as Dinuk Wijeratne, Dorothy Chang, and Jocelyn Morlock. Paul has also received a diploma in software engineering (2023) from BrainStation. Outside of composing, he spends his time writing code as a web/software developer, practicing guitar, cleaning his fountain pens, and looking for neat birds at Tommy Thompson Park.