Paolo Ott

Passionate about the performing arts, I cannot imagine my life without music, theatre or dance. Of Italian and German origins, born on 08/11/08 and raised in Brussels (Belgium), I am multicultural and speak five languages fluently (EN, FR, IT, DE, and ES). Aged 17, I am an IB student at the British School of Brussels (BSB) in my final year (HL: History, Spanish B, Theatre Arts; SL: Maths AA, French A, Physics). Performance and Acting: I am particularly fond of the classics such as Plautus, Molière, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Federico Garcia Lorca. I am fascinated by Japanese performing arts traditions and cinematographic/anime culture, such as Kabuki, Noh, Akira Kurosawa, and Studio Ghibli. I have been acting since the age of 8. I chose theatre arts as one of my higher-level choices for the IB DP. In spring 2026 I received the Gold Medal for the LAMDA Grade 8 Acting exam (90%). During the school year 2026/27, I plan to prepare for the LAMDA Grade 8 Musical Theatre exam. Music (on top of my IB course): I particularly enjoy listening to, singing and playing jazz, bossa nova, show tunes, and "that kind of croonin' chum". I started singing in choirs and solos at the age of 3. Participant at the BSB Music Festival since 2021, I was the winner at only age 12 in a duet from the musical Billy Elliot (Expressing Yourself). I have been singing classical, jazz and musical theatre pieces during the 2025 and 2026 BSB Music Trips in Italy and Germany. In the summer of 2026, I had the honour of joining Benny Benack III and his Jazz Band performing "It Could Happen To You" at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. I am multi-instrumental (bass guitar, double bass, piano, and yidaki/didgeridoo). I plan to prepare for the RSL Grade 8 Bass Guitar exam as well as the ABRSM Music Theory Grade 5 exam in 2027. During the summer of 2026, I had the immense pleasure of being selected for the Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics for bass guitar and voice in Perugia, Italy. Within BSB I have been performing at various Jazz Nights, Charity Concerts, Christmas, and End-of-(School)Year performances as an instrumentalist (bass guitar and double bass) as well as a singer (solo, Barbershop and Senior Choir). Dancing: While my peers were chasing after a ball on a football pitch, and I was officially playing volleyball, I was secretly dancing in ballrooms and studios. I started with hip-hop and breakdance, later adding rock and roll. In the summer of 2026 I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Arts Ed Experience for Musical Theatre in London, UK. Since 2026, I have been following tap dance courses with Jean Emmet and jazz dance lessons with Kirsty Ingram. With the dance school Swign and Sway, I am currently training with Ariane Hoyois and Guy Charlier for ballroom and international Latin dances in Wavre, Belgium. I am also preparing for a show, planned for February 2027, featuring songs and choreographies of the late 50s and early 60s. I am a very quick learner, reliable, hard-working and resilient, or as Frank Sinatra would sing, "I pick myself up and get back in the race." Please do not hesitate to consult my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@Paolo_Ott), which, on a regular basis, is being updated.