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Appointed to the National Symphony Orchestra clarinet section by Maestro Leonard Slatkin in 1999, Paul Cigan enjoys a career as an orchestral clarinetist, chamber musician, teacher, and soloist. In addition to the NSO, Cigan can frequently be heard performing with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, 21st Century Consort, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, as well as on recordings with those ensembles on the Dorian, Bridge, and Naxos labels. In 2012, Cigan premiered Donald Crockett's Dance Concerto with the 21st Century Consort and performed a special wind ensemble version of the piece with the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra in 2015. Prior to the NSO, Cigan held principal posts with the San Antonio Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and Virginia Symphony.

An active teacher in the Washington, D.C., area, Cigan is currently on the faculty of The University of Maryland at College Park. He is also active in the NSO education department, instructing members of the Youth Fellowship Program and Summer Music Institute.

Other activities include performing at the Halcyon Music Festival and Grand Teton Music Festival and teaching at the University of Maryland National Orchestral Institute and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. Cigan studied with Anthony Gigliotti, former principal clarinetist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and David Breeden, former principal clarinetist of the San Francisco Symphony. Cigan is a graduate of Temple University.