Over three decades, the lyricism of composer and multi-instrumentalist PAUL MCCANDLESS has been integral to the sound of two seminal contemporary ensembles, the Paul Winter Consort and the relentlessly innovative quartet, OREGON. McCandless' broad palette of single- and double-reed instruments reflects his grounding in both classical and jazz disciplines.

While still a student, McCandless performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony at Carnegie Hall and the United Nations. He played with the Paul Winter Consort from 1968 through 1973, recording five albums and appearing at Fillmores East and West, the Tanglewood and Schaeffer festivals, and numerous colleges throughout the U.S.

McCandless formed OREGON in 1972 with guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner, bassist Glen Moore, and percussionist Collin Walcott. To date, the group has recorded 23 albums and performed throughout the world at international festivals of Berlin, Pori, Molde, Newport, Telluride, Bombay, and Delhi and in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Vienna's Mozartsaal.

As a collaborator and solo artist outside of OREGON, McCandless has performed under Dennis Russell Davies with the Philadelphia, St. Paul Chamber, Stuttgart Opera, and Freiburg orchestras. He has appeared on more than 150 albums and performances with such musicians as Carla Bley, Mark Isham, Bruce Hornsby, Al Jarreau, Michael Manring, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, and Steve Reich. He has recorded three albums and toured with Béla Fleck, with whom he won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Pop Instrumental. He inaugurated his solo career in 1978 with All the Mornings Bring (Elektra/Asylum).

When Paul is at his home in Bolinas, California., he teaches music with his wife, Robin Feld, at Full Circle, a residential treatment center for troubled teenage boys.