School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Paul Agnew

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Paul Agnew was born in 1964 in Glasgow and is a Scottish tenor and conductor. He studied music as a choral scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. There he entered the world of early music and sang with ensembles such as Ex Cathedra, the Consort of Musicke, The Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen and Gothic Voices, before beginning a solo career in the early 1990s. He is known for his high tenor roles in the French repertoire, although he also sings other works.

Music and breakthrough

His recordings include Mozart's Coronation Mass, cantatas and the B minor Mass by Bach with Ton Koopman, the Johannes-Passion (St John Passion) with Stephen Cleobury, Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ with Philippe Herreweghe and Handel's Solomon with Paul McCreesh. He sang the title role in Rameau's Platée, which was released on DVD. As a soloist he worked above all with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, singing in productions of Charpentier and Rameau. Rameau's Grands Motets won the Gramophone award for best early vocal music recording in 1995.

Influence

In 2013 Agnew became associate musical director of Les Arts Florissants and co-founded the academy Le Jardin des Voix. In 2007 he conducted the ensemble for the first time in a Vivaldi performance, as the first conductor alongside William Christie. Since 2020 he has been co-musical director. He combines singing and conducting, and recorded a series of albums of Italian madrigals.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of Agnew in the French Baroque repertoire. Notice how clear and high his tenor sounds and how smoothly he follows the long lines.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists