Renowned as an "artist beyond his time" by distinguished American composer John Corigliano and praised by Brutal New Music Reviews as possessing “the caliber of a soloist with whom composers dream to collaborate,” saxophonist Dr. Don-Paul Kahl, PhD has graced stages across Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan, and South-East Asia. His performance record includes invitations to prestigious music festivals such as the KURAIA Festival (ES), Tallinn New Music Days (ET), and Musica Nova Festival (US), among many others.

Don-Paul has performed as a soloist with esteemed ensembles, including the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Musa Horti, and the Leuven New Music Ensemble. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered over 100 new works for saxophone by established composers, contributing significantly to the evolution of modern musical expression in and through the saxophone. Recent commissions include works by Ramon Lazkano, Stratis Minakakis, María Eugenia Luc, Yotam Haber, Katarina Miljokovic, and Nicholas Tzortzis, among many others.

Don-Paul has an extensive and continually growing discography spanning many years. Among its highlights is his debut solo album, Go Within, released on the Equilibrium Label. Featuring six compelling works, the album demonstrates his commitment to championing music by living composers. Collaborating with pianist Alessandro Cervino, the project showcases compositions by Molly Joyce, Stratis Minakakis, Eleni Ralli, Gregory Wanamaker, Mischa Zupko, and Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi.

Among many competition accolades, Don-Paul was a prizewinner at the prestigious 4th Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition in Bangkok, Thailand. As a member of various international chamber ensembles, he won the grand prize at the Saint-Saëns International Music Competition and was a finalist at the Supernova Kamermuziek Wedstrijd in partnership with the Klara Festival. He also received third prize and a special prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France. In 2017, his ensemble was awarded first prize and the special prize at the Concours d'Interprétation de la Ville de Boulogne-Billancourt. Additionally, Don-Paul was awarded the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship for academic study in Paris, France, during the 2013–2014 academic year.

As an avid and in-demand chamber musician, Don-Paul is active with the internationally acclaimed saxophone quartet, Ensemble du Bout du Monde (EBM), his duo with clarinetist, Jackie Glazier, Duo Entre-Nous (D2), with Woodwork, a dynamic reed quintet based in Belgium, and the Central Pennsylvania saxophone and piano duo, Kahl & Nyce Duo. 

Don-Paul is an avid clinician and gives masterclasses throughout Europe and the United States. Currently, he serves on the faculty at the Susquehanna University High School Wind Ensemble Institute in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He served on the faculty at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Florida where he taught applied study in both saxophone and clarinet. Concurrently, he served as the saxophone teaching assistant at the University of Florida.

Don-Paul Kahl is a freelance saxophonist based between the United States and Belgium. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in the Arts (Ph.D.) in Artistic Research from Universiteit Leiden (NL), completed through the DocARTES Program at the Orpheus Institute (BE).His dissertation, “Saxophone Without Mouthpiece,” investigates innovative approaches to the instrument and is structured in three parts. The first section situates these techniques within the broader historical, ideological, and aesthetic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. The second offers a detailed analysis of their sonic possibilities, exploring their application and artistic potential for both performers and composers. This section also provides comprehensive explanations and demonstrations of how these techniques transition seamlessly between one another. The third section examines the role of notation, analyzing past compositional and notational practices while proposing new guidelines for future compositional use. The full dissertation is available at www.saxowithoutmouthpiece.com.

He previously earned a Master-na-masteropleidingen (Ma-na-Ma) in Solo Performance and Research from LUCA School of Arts – Campus Lemmens (BE), specializing in contemporary performance, literature, and artistically informed research studies. Additionally, he completed an Artist’s Diploma in Saxophone Performance at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional, Boulogne-Billancourt (FR), with a concentration in modern music, hybrid music, and chamber music. His earlier studies include a Master of Music (M.M.) in Saxophone Performance from the University of Florida (USA), where he pursued a secondary concentration in music history and literature, and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Saxophone Performance from Susquehanna University (USA), with significant coursework in music education.

Kahl’s mentors include Marcel Cobussen, Raaf Hekkema, and Marcus Weiss (artistic research); Jean-Michel Goury, Jonathan Helton, Geoffrey Deibel, and Gail B. Levinsky (saxophone); with additional studies under Frederick L. Hemke.

Don-Paul Kahl is a Henri Selmer Paris and Conn-Selmer performing artist, and proudly performs on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively.