Paul Lawrence Vincent Esswood (born 6 June 1942) is an English countertenor and conductor. He is best known for his performance of Bach cantatas and the operas of Handel and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman, he led the revival of countertenor singing in modern times.

Life and career
Paul Esswood was born in West Bridgford, England.  He studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1961 to 1964 after which he sang in the choir of Westminster Abbey. His professional debut was in a performance of Handel's Messiah for Angel Records, conducted by Charles Mackerras (1967). 

Esswood has participated in over 150 recordings, including the alto parts of many Bach cantatas in the complete Teldec series by conductors Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt. He has recorded Messiah four times, as well as extended works by Henry Purcell, Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and others. Among the roles in contemporary works written for Esswood are the title role in Philip Glass's Akhnaten and Death in Penderecki's Paradise Lost. He also sang in the première of Schnittke's Second Symphony.

Paul Esswood is a co-founder of Pro Cantione Antiqua, an all-male a cappella group specializing in early music. He has also established a reputation as a conductor of Baroque opera. In particular, Esswood has worked extensively in Poland as both a conductor and teacher. In Krakow he has conducted Capella Cracoviensis in works such as Purcell's The Fairy Queen and Vivaldi's Gloria, while in Bydgoszcz he has conducted the Capella Bydgostiensis in works including Handel’s Messiah. Other roles Esswood has held in the country include Visiting Professor of Baroque Vocal Music at the Academy of Music in Gdansk and Chief Conductor of the Polish Orchestra of the XVIII Century. 

2020 saw him conduct Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide for the Warsaw Chamber Opera. In 2023, he helped to inaugurate the Poznań Grand Theatre's artistic season by conducting Handel's Jephtha.

Selected recordings 

 Jean-Sébastien Bach, Passion selon saint Matthieu, avec Kurt Equiluz, Karl Ridderbusch, Paul Esswood, Tom Sutcliffe, James Bowman, Nigel Rogers, Max van Egmond, Michael Schopper, Concentus Musicus Wien, Chœur de garçons des Regensburger Domspatzen, Chœur du King's College, conducted by  Nikolaus Harnoncourt - 3 CD Teldec (1970).
 Georg Friedrich Haendel, Serse, avec Carolyn Watkinson, Paul Esswood, Barbara Hendricks, Ortrun Wenkel, Anne-Marie Rodde, Ulrik Cold, Ulrich Studer, La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire - 3 CD Sony Music (1979).
 Marc-Antoine Charpentier, David et Jonathas H.490, avec Paul Esswood (David), Colette Alliot-Lugaz(Jonathas), Philippe Huttenlocher (Saül), Roger Soyer (Achis), Antoine David (Joabel), René Jacobs (La Pythonisse), Pari Marinov ( L'Ombre de Samuel), Maitrise de L'Opéra de Lyon, Enfants de la Cigale de Lyon, et du lycée musical, English Bach Festival Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Michel Corboz - 2 CD Erato (1981).

References

External links
 
 Paul Esswood (Countertenor) Bach Cantatas Website
 Paul Esswood sings Bach

1942 births
Living people
Operatic countertenors
Alumni of the Royal College of Music
People from West Bridgford
Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
People educated at West Bridgford School