Paul studied piano and musicology at Wichita State and at Cornell University. He also earned a degree in journalism because his first love was always in using the written word to inspire readers about the arts. After earning his master’s and PhD from Cornell, he was an assistant professor of musicology at Louisiana State University before being named program annotator for the Philadelphia Orchestra. He left Philadelphia in 2000 to join the then-thriving arts desk at The Kansas City Star, and in 2008 he happily accepted a post at The Independent.
Among Paul’s honors is the Kansas City Musical Club’s 2025 Annual Award, given each year to someone who has made “outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Kansas City.” He has also received awards and grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the New York Times/NEA Dance Critics Institute, and the Newberry Library. Paul has conducted scholarly research in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and he contributes to national publications including Playbill, Dance Magazine, Symphony, Musical America, and The New York Times. He has also taught musicology at Cornell, LSU, and Park University.
