Get to know the artist: Paula Hochhalter

Described by composer Maria Newman as a “golden-toned cellist”, Paula Hochhalter has built a performing career that spans eclectic musical styles with ease. Her expressive tone production and passionate playing have been compared to Jacqueline du Pré. A graduate of USC, she is a well-known orchestra and chamber musician, performing with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the LA Chamber Orchestra and in quartets and at summer music festivals across the world, from Newport Beach to the Netherlands, Seattle to her home-base, Los Angeles.

One of the first-call studio musicians for Hollywood film and recording sessions, Hochhalter is requested by John Williams, Danny Elfman, Marco Beltrami, Mark Isham, Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Benjamin Wallfish, David and Thomas Newman, Randy Kerber, and Randy Newman. She is part of Hans Zimmer’s hand-picked live ensemble, with whom she toured in 2017 and performed at Coachella along with other venues. She has also recorded with major popular music artists over the past 35 years, including Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, and James Taylor. 

A proponent of music that is accessible to everyone, Paula has created the “Collier House Concerts” which regularly presents salon-style events in her home featuring her talented friends and family in classical and popular music performances. Hochhalter believes that musical collaborations like these can span several genres and provide a new ‘take on things’ that is fresh and exciting.