An internationally renowned performer, Paul Agnew is in constant demand as an exceptional interpreter of baroque and classical repertoire. His long-standing collaborations with leading conductors in the field of early music have resulted in a discography of over one hundred recordings. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, before embarking on a career that has taken him around the world.

At the forefront of the revival of French baroque repertoire, Paul Agnew made a critically acclaimed debut singing the title role in Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau at the Palais Garnier, conducted by William Christie. He has since returned to the Opéra national de Paris for new productions of Platée, Les Boréades, and Les Indes galantes by Rameau. He has performed the demanding haute-contre roles internationally, including at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Opernhaus Zürich, and in Sydney, Australia. His repertoire later expanded to include Idomeneo by Mozart under William Christie, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw by Britten at the Opéra national de Bordeaux under Jane Glover and at the Opéra de Rennes, L’anima del filosofo by Haydn with the Kammerorchesterbasel in Vienna and Eisenstadt, Jephtha by Haendel at the Det Kongelige Theater in Copenhagen, and Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc at the Opéra de Nice. Paul Agnew made his debut with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in their production of Acis and Galatea celebrating the 250th anniversary of Haendel’s death.

Following a highly successful debut conducting Les Arts Florissants in Paris in 2007, William Christie appointed him co-musical director of the ensemble. Since then, he has conducted the group on tours to major venues such as the Wiener Konzerthaus, throughout France, Salzburg, New York, and China. He made his London conducting debut with the ensemble at the Barbican as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations. Paul Agnew succeeded Christophe Rousset as music director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroque in 2009 and has since been actively involved in training the next generation of early music specialists. He is also co-director of the young singers’ academy Le Jardin des Voix.

Paul Agnew has conducted, among others, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Trondheim Symfoniorkester, the Spanish National Orchestra, the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Saint-Étienne, Music of the Baroque in Chicago, the St Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota, the Staatskapelle Dresden, and the Finnish Radio Chamber Orchestra in Helsinki.

He made his operatic conducting debut with Der Schauspieldirektor by Mozart at the Opéra de Rennes in 2010 and has since conducted Robert Carsen’s new production of Platée by Rameau at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna and at the Opéra Comique in Paris, Platée again at the Göteborg Opera and Garsington Opera, and Giulio Cesare at the Nationaltheater Mannheim.

As co-musical director of Les Arts Florissants, he led a Monteverdi recording series that won the Gramophone Award in 2014, and more recently completed a recording of Gesualdo’s six books of madrigals, which also received a Gramophone Award (2022) and was named Disque de l’année by Classica (2023). His extensive discography also includes Lamentazione (works by Scarlatti and Caldara) for Virgin, The Food of Love (Purcell program) for Ambroisie, In Dreaming by Sally Beamish for Virgin Classics, Dardanus by Rameau for ABC, and songs by Dowland for Metronome. On DVD, he has appeared in Les Boréades and Les Indes galantes (Opus Arte), Armide by Lully, Messe en si mineur and Passion selon saint Matthieu by Bach, as well as his celebrated performance of Platée (TDK).

Paul Agnew has been represented by RSBA since 2023.

General Management (World except Spain)
RSB Artists
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Management (Spain)

Enrique Rubio 

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