Paul Douglas Hillier

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 9 February 1949) is an English

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

, music director and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. He specializes in both

early Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

and

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

, especially that by composers

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...

and

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

. He was a co-founder of the Hilliard Ensemble and directed the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir for numerous years. He has been Chief Conductor of

Ars Nova (Copenhagen) Ars Nova Copenhagen is a Danish vocal ensemble specialised in the interpretation of the polyphonic choral music of the Renaissance and new vocal music. It was founded in 1979 by composer Bo Holten among others. In 1996 Hungarian conductor Tamás Ve ...

since 2003, and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland since 2008.

Ensembles

Hillier was born in Dorchester, England in 1949, where he attended Hardye's Grammar School. In 1967 he became a music student at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying voice. In 1974 he co-founded the Hilliard Ensemble along with fellow vicar-choral Paul Elliott, tenor, and counter-tenor David James. His concert debut was in 1974 in London's Purcell Room. Hillier remained the director of the ensemble until 1990, when he founded

Theatre of Voices Theatre of Voices is a vocal ensemble founded by baritone Paul Hillier in 1990;www.paulhillier.net
. Retrieved March 9, 2 ...

. In addition to early music, this group explores more contemporary repertoire. With the Chicago-based ensemble His Majestie's Clerkes Hillier recorded early American repertoire such as the works of William Billings on the 1992 album '' A Land of Pure Delight''. Hillier later became Director of the Early Music Institute at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where conducted the Pro Arte Singers. He left the E.M.I. in 2003, having meanwhile become Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; he left the position in 2007. Since 2003, Hillier has made his home in Copenhagen, where he is Chief Conductor of

. In 2008, he was appointed Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland. He also continues to work with his own group, Theatre of Voices. Hillier has recorded a number of solo albums, some with harpist

Andrew Lawrence-King Andrew Lawrence-King (born 3 September 1959) is a harpist and conductor from Guernsey known for his work in early music. Career Lawrence-King received an organ scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge, following on his work as head chorister at t ...

, on the Harmonia Mundi, ECM, EMI, Finlandia and

Hyperion Hyperion may refer to: Greek mythology * Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans * ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios * Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam Science * Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn * ''Hyp ...

labels.

Academic appointments

Starting in 1980, Hillier has held a variety of academic appointments over the years, most recently as Director of the Early Music Institute at Indiana University Bloomington.Early Music Institute

Publications

*''The Catch Book'' (1987), Oxford University Press, , a collection of catches (comic rounds) edited by Hillier. *''A Josquin Anthology'' (2005), Oxford University Press, , a collection of choral pieces by Renaissance composer

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

, edited by Ross Duffin and Hillier. *''Writing on Music, 1965–2000'' (2002), Oxford University Press, , a collection of writings by composer Steve Reich, edited by Hillier. *''Arvo Pärt'' (1997), Oxford University Press, , The first English-language study (including a short biography) of Estonian composer

. *''English Romantic Partsongs'' (1986), Oxford University Press, , a collection of songs edited by Hillier. *''300 Years of English Partsongs: Glees, Rounds, Catches, Partsongs 1600-1900'' (1983), Faber & Faber, , a collection of music edited by Hillier.

References

External links

Paul Hillier on Bach-Cantatas

Paul Hillier on Harmonia Mundi
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillier, Paul English operatic baritones British performers of early music Founders of early music ensembles Grammy Award winners People from Dorchester, Dorset 1949 births Living people