Paul Ballesta
Paul Ballesta began studying the violin at the age of 3 with Mariko Baujard at the Cannes regional conservatory in the South of France. At the age of 18, he continued his apprenticeship at the conservatory of the 12th arrondissement of Paris in the classes of Sébastien Surel and Ariel Gill.
In the meantime, Paul participates in several masterclasses given by Olivier Charlier, Alexis Galpérine and Alexandra Soumm.
After that, Paul begins his bachelor’s degree in 2022 at the University of Montreal in Guillaume Sutre’s class. Becoming a student at the University of Montreal, Paul participated in the school orchestra in which he had the opportunity to perform Gustav Mahler’s 4th symphony as solo violin.
Paul has been studying since fall 2023 in Marie Bégin’s class, still at the University of Montreal.He also participated in the first two editions of the Diapassion 440 Festival taking place in Auvergne, a region of France. He also increases his participation in several recognized French courses/academies such as Musique à Flaine or the Tignes academy.
Paul also had the chance to play with the Orchester Métropolitain de Montréal on several occasions, giving him the opportunity to perform major orchestral repertoire such as Prokofiev’s 5th symphony or Dukas’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
In March 2024, Paul won first prize in the concerto competition of the music faculty of the University of Montreal, granting him a scholarship as well as the opportunity to play the Sibelius concerto accompanied by the university orchestra. in November 2024.
Paul is primarily passionate about chamber music, more specifically the string quartet, but also the solo violin.
