Paul Goodwin
Paul Goodwin – versatile conductor and artistic director with a flair for creative, dynamic programming and a fresh approach to performance. He is renowned for his wide repertoire, historically informed interpretations of music of all periods and his interest in contemporary music. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the Cappella Aquileia in Germany and Director of Historical Performance Praxis at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia in Madrid. From 2010 – 2021 he was Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Carmel Bach Festival in California.
Paul Goodwin has a wide symphonic repertoire conducting orchestras throughout the world, such as the BBC Philharmonic, the Hallé Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the UK; the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in the US; the Belgium National, Spanish National, Taiwan National, Hungarian National Opera and Polish National Orchestras, the Rotterdam, Helsinki, Auckland, Melbourne, Seoul and Royal Stockholm Philharmonics and the Radio Orchestras of the BR (München), HR (Frankfurt/Main), SR (Saabrücken), NDR (Hannover), MDR (Leipzig), WDR (Cologne) along with the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg.
In the 2024 – 25 season Paul is conducting the Polish National Orchestra, the Warsaw Chamber Opera, the National Symphony and Jalisco Philharmonic in Mexico, George Enescu’s oratorio “Vox Maris” in Bucharest Romania, Handel’s opera Alcina in Mainz, the National Youth Orchestra of Israel in Elgar Enigma Variations, the Reina Sofia Camerata in Madrid, a baroque program with the Valencia Chamber Orchestra and the wonderful Haydn 7 last words on the cross in Murcia, Spain. In September 2025, he will go on a tour with the Rheinische Philharmonie in a Beethoven, Mozart and Mendelssohn program.
In opera, Paul Goodwin‘s successes have included Cosi fan Tutte at the Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, Iphigénie en Tauride at the Komische Oper Berlin, The Rape of Lucretia at the Teatro Real Madrid, Orlando at both Scottish Opera and Opera Australia, Handel’s Jephta at Welsh National Opera and Riccardo Primo at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe. In Carmel he has conducted Mozart’s Idomeneo, The Magic Flute, Cosi fan Tutte and Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti.
For 11 years Paul was the Associate Conductor of the Academy of Ancient Music with whom he toured extensively and made recordings of Schutz choral music, Mozart’s singspiel Zaide and two discs of music by John Tavener. Three of these CDs were nominated for Grammy (USA) and Gramophone (UK) awards. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra for 6 years, collaborating with artists such as Kiri Te Kanawa, Joshua Bell, Maria João Pires, Mstislav Rostropovich and Magdalena Kožená. He has recorded CDs of Strauss, Hartmann, Handel’s Riccardo Primo and Athalia, and a highly acclaimed CD of Elgar’s Nursery Suite for Harmonia Mundi. He has collaborated with the Münchner Rundfunk Orchester on two discs for Sony, one of Prokoviev‘s Peter and the Wolf paired with Paddington Bear, and the other accompanying the violinist Charlie Siem in virtuoso violin music of Kreisler, called “Underneath the stars”.
Paul Goodwin has a strong following on Spotify with his most popular track: Sospiri Op.70 by Edward Elgar listened to more than 10 million times. There are at present 23 of his albums available to listen to on open.spotify.com/artist/4GamZjZFOQyMp7LNx81GwZ.
In 2007, Paul Goodwin was awarded the Handel Honorary Prize of the City of Halle (Saale) in recognition of his extraordinary services to performances of works by George Frederic Handel. In 2021, a two year Music Fellowship was set up in honour of Paul Goodwin’s 11 years tenure at the Carmel Bach Festival, in collaboration with CSUMB (California State University Monterey Bay). In 2022, presented by Queen Sofia of Spain, he received the Plaque of the Reina Sofia School of Music as Professor of the Historical Performance Practice Programme.
Paul Goodwin is passionate about teaching and working with young people of all ages, from musical theatre productions for 4- to 8 years old, to acting out musical stories, to understanding cultural differences in national youth orchestras. He was baroque oboe professor at the Royal College of Music and at the Dartington International Summer School. For 9 years, he was conductor of the baroque and classical rounds of the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels. He regularly works with students of the Baroque Vocal Academie in Mainz and the Neumeyer Consort conducting operas by Handel.
One of the most versatile conductors of our time
(Hessische Zeitung)
Goodwin sheds new light and brings fresh air
(The Boston Globe)
Inspired Goodwin creates magical moments
(La País)
Outstanding in grace and elegance, enchanted with energy and precision
(Gazeta Wyborcza)
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- © Randy Tunnell