Paul Hillier

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Paul Douglas Hillier (b. February 9, 1949), was born in Dorchester, England. He is an active conductor, director, and singer (baritone). He specializes in early music and contemporary art music, especially that of composers Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt. Hillier studied at Guildhall School of Music, and later became a vicar-scholar at St Paul's Cathedral, London, where he started his professional career. Hillier had his concert debut in 1974 in London's Purcell Room.

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[edit] Ensembles

  • In 1974 year he co-founded The Hilliard Ensemble along with fellow vicar-scholar Paul Elliott, and David James, who probably knew Elliott when they were both at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was for a period the group's musical director, until he left, around 1989.
  • In 1989 he founded Theatre of Voices (spelled Theater in US releases), which records on the Harmonia Mundi the french label. With this group he explores more contemporary repertoire.
  • When Hillier became the director of the Early Music Institute at the Indiana University School of Music he became director of The Pro Arte Singers, who put out a couple of recordings with Theatre of Voices. He was director until he left the Institute in 2003.
  • In 2001 Hillier became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC).[1]
  • In 2008 he was appointed as new artistic director and chief conductor of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland.

Hillier has also recorded a number of solo albums, some with harpist Andrew Lawrence-King. He has recorded under the harmonia mundi, ECM, EMI, Finlandia, and Hyperion labels.

[edit] Academic Appointments

Hillier has had numerous academic appointments over the years, starting in 1980, and most recently as director of Indiana University Bloomington's Early Music Institute, but has always returned to performance.

[edit] Publications

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hillier, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Singer and director
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Dorchester, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH