Sphinx Virtuosi | Meet Us | Paul Aguilar

Paul Aguilar

Hailed by audiences for his commanding and expressive performances,
Venezuelan/American violinist and violist Paul Aguilar maintains an active solo and chamber music performance schedule of over 40 recitals each year. He is a member of the Sphinx Soloist Program roster and was the 2nd Prize Laureate as well as the Audience Prize winner of the 2025 Sphinx Competition. As an orchestral musician, he was recently appointed as a member of the Houston Symphony viola section.

As a chamber musician, Paul has appeared in concert across North America and internationally, including at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Ravinia Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, Caramoor Center, La Jolla Summerfest, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Schneider Concert Series, and the Heidelberg String Quartet Festival. Paul has won top prizes in nearly every major chamber music competition, including the Banff, Bordeaux, Melbourne, and Fischoff International Chamber Music Competitions. His chamber music collaborators have included artists such as James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, Phil Setzer, Lawrence Power, and Paul Watkins.

Paul strives to educate the next generation on the importance of true excellence in every area of life, and of classical music's role as a tool along that path. Paul has appeared as guest artist faculty at festivals and institutions across the United States including Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program, the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, and the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC. He is actively involved with the Sphinx Organization in both performance and outreach, and was a 2019 MPower Grant recipient. Paul plays on a very fine violin and viola that he commissioned from master luthier Kevin Lee.