About Paul

Paul Heidler was born in Vienna in 1954, and began playing the guitar when he was fifteen.
He came to South Africa
in 1973, where he studied music and the guitar in all its aspects. He studied classical guitar with Fritz Buss, one of South Africa’s leading teachers, between 1982 and 1987, and with David Hewitt from 1987 to 1991. He did his grades in Music Theory and Performance with UNISA. In 1989 Paul spent six weeks completing a course at the Mozarteum in Salzburg studying with Pepe Romero and Eliot Fisk. He takes active part in annual international guitar festivals in Germany where he meets and studies with the great guitar performers of our day, including David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, the Assad brothers and many more.
In 1984 Paul started teaching the guitar in music shops, music schools and privately. In the late 1980s, he began exploring the possibilities of guitar synthesis, lecturing on the subject to music societies, music schools and the
music business sector. He runs
a successful teaching studio in
Melville, Johannesburg, and is often invited to participate and adjudicate
at eisteddfods and art festivals.
Paul often performs in solo settings for various musical societies, jazz clubs, folk clubs and art festivals. He also performs regularly at high-profile functions at prestigious venues such as The Saxon Hotel and The Grace. He is currently a resident musician at The Westcliff Hotel (Orient Express Hotel Group). His repertoire includes classical, Latin American, and popular contemporary music such as ragtime, jazz and blues.