Paula Robison (b. 1941 USA) was born in Tennessee to a family of actors, writers, dancers, and musicians. She spent her childhood in Southern California, learned to play the flute in her school orchestra, and studied dance with Bella Lewitsky and theater with Jeff Corey.

Study at the Juilliard School followed, and summers at the Marlboro Music Festival working with the great Marcel Moyse. When she was twenty years old, Leonard Bernstein invited her to be a soloist with the New York Philharmonic. When she gave her New York recital debut under the auspices of Young Concert Artists, the New York Times wrote: "Music bursts from her as naturally as leaves from trees". Soon after that Paula Robison became the first American to win First Prize at the Geneva International Competition, and her career as a world-traveling groundbreaking flute soloist was launched.

When the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center was formed Ms. Robison was invited to join as a founding Artist Member. She performed with the Society for twenty seasons. During the same time she was co-director with Scott Nickrenz of the acclaimed chamber music concerts at the Spoleto Festivals, presenting many great artists early in their careers. She was awarded the Adelaide Ristori Prize for her contributions to Italian cultural life.

In February of 2009 she rejoined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in a gala concert celebrating the opening of the newly restored Alice Tully Hall, playing music of JS Bach and William Bolcom.

A passionate advocate for new music, Paula Robison has commissioned well over thirty works for the flute by renowned composers such as Leon Kirchner, Toru Takemitsu, Robert Beaser, Kenneth Frazelle, Oliver Knussen, and Lowell Liebermann, and premiered music by Pierre Boulez, Alberto Ginastera, Elliott Carter, William Schuman, Keith Jarrett, and Carla Bley, among many others. "Notturno", a wildly lyrical hymn to the joys and pains of a life in music, was written for Ms. Robison by Michael Tilson Thomas.

Paula Robison's historic recordings for Vanguard Classics are now being reissued. Ms. Robison has also recorded for Sony Classical, CBS Masterworks, Mode (the complete Berio Sequenzas, awarded the Premio del Disco Amadeus 2008, and Lei Liang's "In Praise of Shadows"), New World Records, King Records, Musical Heritage Society, and Bridge Recordings (her Marlboro Festival performance of Schubert's Introduction and Variations with Rudolf Serkin, named American Record Guide's Best Recording of the Year). Her books on the art of flute playing are published by Universal Edition, Schott, European-American Music, and G. Schirmer.

In 2006 Paula Robison founded Pergola Recordings, an independent label, which released a critically acclaimed album of live performances including the World Premiere of Lowell Liebermann's Sonata with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Prokofiev Sonata with pianist Yefim Bronfman. Her ground-breaking performances have made her a role model for young flutists everywhere. Robison is renowned for her master classes, original transcriptions, and books on the art of flute playing.

Paula Robison has taught at the Juilliard School and given classes all over the world. In the fall of 2005 she rejoined the faculty of The New England Conservatory as the first occupant of the newly-endowed Donna Hieken Flute Chair. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the San Francisco Conservatory in May of 2008 and gave the commencement address, and in November of 2008 she was honored by the Classical Recording Foundation with its annual Samuel Sanders Award at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall. In February-March of 2009 she visited the School of Music of the University of Washington as the Hans and Thelma Lehmann Distinguished Lecturer in Music. Ms. Robison has had a long relationship with the Gardner Museum first as a performer and as co-director of Boston's Gardner Chamber Orchestra, and later as an Artist-in-Residence.

Paula Robison spent some of her 2005 residency practicing the flute in the artist's apartment. Other times she could be found in the Special Exhibition gallery during the exhibition Variations on a Theme by Sol LeWitt and Paula Robison, where she performed the Mozart flute quartets every day surrounded by Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #1183. This collaborative exhibition stemmed from a deep friendship between the two artists and the curator Pieranna Cavalchini and resulted in a truly unique and moving experience. In all, 53 performances were held in the Special Exhibition gallery.

On New Year's Eve 2009, Robison gave a special performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Sooyun Kim (flute and piccolo), Alexis Lanz (clarinet and bass clarinet), David Fulmer (violin and viola), Eric Jacobsen (cello), and Steven Beck (piano). This evening was held in conjunction with the exhibition Lunar Reflections by 2007 AIR Taro Shinoda. For the event, Shinoda installed screens around the Courtyard and projected video footage he has taken of the moon through a telescope and edited into various pieces.