The classical guitar has an orchestra hidden inside it. Drawing it out is what Paolo Besson does: a richness of tone matched to a controlled, expressive virtuosity that gives his interpretations an identity entirely his own.

Paolo Besson discovered the guitar as a young child, training first with Bruno Michel Abati and Jesús Castro Balbi in Lyon before continuing his studies with Jérémy Jouve at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris. At just seventeen he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, studying first with Gabriel Bianco and currently with Tristan Manoukian. He has continued to refine his playing through courses, masterclasses and festivals alongside major international figures of the instrument — Marcin Dylla, Anabel Montesinos, Judicaël Perroy, Thibaut Garcia and Gérard Abiton.

He came to wider attention in 2021 on Prodiges, where he was nicknamed "the ambassador of the classical guitar." From the age of eighteen he began winning competitions in quick succession, and his record now includes several first prizes and audience awards — a measure both of the rigour of his playing and of his presence on stage.

Those distinctions have taken him on tour across France and Europe, particularly Spain and Italy. In 2025 he performed in France at the Festival de Guitare de Paris, Drôme de Guitare and Guitare en Cévennes; in Spain at the Petrer International Festival, along with four concerts around Girona in Cadaqués, Tossa de Mar, Pals and Castell d'Oro; and in Italy, a recital in Parma conceived and performed entirely in darkness for an audience of blind listeners.

He is also part of the artistic team behind Yoyo à l'Hôtel de la guitare bleue, a show for young audiences built on the music of Roland Dyens. In 2025 he released his debut album, an exploration of the orchestral and colouristic dimensions of the classical guitar.