Paul Beier

The American-born lutenist Paul Beier has been a central figure in establishing a solo lute performance scene in his adopted country of Italy. He has often participated in productions of early operas at La Scala and other major Italian opera houses, and at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico.

Paul Beier was born in 1954 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Diana Poulton; she was a student of <a href="spotify:artist:5RXShi7HosLd8ujb5al4CZ">Arnold Dolmetsch</a> and herself a pioneer in early music in Britain. From her, Beier absorbed not only lute skills, but also enthusiasm for research into historical performance practices. In 1981, Beier was asked to create a new lute program at the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milan, Italy. He has taught there ever since, adding basso continuo and Renaissance ensemble classes to his responsibilities. Beier was a founder of the Italian Lute Society; he is a consulting editor of the Lute Society of America Journal and has written widely on lute performance. Beier's solo performance career has taken him on tours throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia. His repertory is focused on Baroque lute music, extending from music of the early 16th century to works by <a href="spotify:artist:5aIqB5nVVvmFsvSdExz408">Bach</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4bRcNJTLwLZmJM598wTQ3A">Silvius Leopold Weiss</a>. Beier founded his own Baroque ensemble, Galatea, and he has also collaborated with La Cetra and other major Baroque groups in Italy and elsewhere. He is the creator of Beiertab, a computer program that facilitates the creation and editing of lute tablature, its conversion into standard notation, and its audio realization. Beier has a large discography of solo lute recordings on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stradivarius%22">Stradivarius</a> label, including, in 2019, John Dowland: What if a day. He has also recorded for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Opus+111%22">Opus 111</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Glossa%22">Glossa</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tactus%22">Tactus</a>, and other labels, and made four recordings as director of Galatea.