Paul Ellison serves as the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Double Bass and co-chair of the string department at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, which he joined in 1974. He has held positions as Principal Bass of the Houston Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, with whom he continues to perform regularly after more than 50 seasons. He appears frequently with ensembles featuring historically-informed performance practice, on his original instruments of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Paul is the first to have received both performance and teaching certificates from Institut International Rabbath, Paris, in 1991. He makes regular teaching visits to the University of Southern California, where he was formerly Professor and string department chair, the Yehudi Menuhin School, The Royal College of Music, Sarasota Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and Academie Domaine Forget (Quebec, Canada). Paul is a past president of the International Society of Bassists.
His wife Elisabeth is a double bassist, and his students hold positions as teachers and performers at universities and orchestras around the globe.