Mauricio Paez, born in Costa Rica, studies the bassoon with Dr. William Dietz in the Costa Rican OSN Youth Program and with Mordechai Rechtman at Tel Aviv University, lives in Israel since 1985. Founder of the New Wind Quintet of Israel, Principal Bassoon of the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, Professor of Bassoon at the Israeli Music Conservatory in Tel Aviv, Head of the Wind and Percussion Department of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Givat Ram, Director of the Woodwind Workshop at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Tel Aviv University.

His students today held important positions in orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Costa Rica, the Israeli Beer Sheva Symphony, Panama University, Guatemala Symphony Orchestra among others.

As a soloist and bassoonist, he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic, the Costa Rican OSN, the Guatemalan OSN, the Bogota Philharmonic, the Belgrade Philharmonic and the Jerusalem Camerata under the direction of important conductors, Mehta, Abbado, Maazel, Gergiev, among others. In chamber music he has collaborated with important musicians, Daniel Baremboim, Emmanuel Pahud, Maurice Bourgue, Kiril Gerstein, Ramón Ortega, Frank Cohen, Shlomo Mintz in prestigious festivals, Schleswig Holstein, Davos, Postdam, Rolandseck, Jerusalem Festival.

In 1988 he received the Françoise Shapira Award for Young Talents in Israel, in 2004 the Benyamini Chamber Music Award granted by the Government of Israel, in 2012 the National Music Award for Interpreters of Costa Rica, in addition to annual awards granted by the American Israel Cultural Foundation.

He is performing artist for the firm Puchner.

“A wonderful bassoonist to work with as he possesses complete control of his instrument” (Zubin Mehta)