Paul Hillier was founding director of the Hilliard Ensemble and Theatre of Voices. Currently he is chief conductor of Ars Nova Copenhagen and Chamber Choir Ireland.
In 2006 he was awarded an OBE for services to choral music. In 2007 he received the Order of the White Star of Estonia, and was awarded a GRAMMY for Best Choral Recording. In 2010 he was awarded his second GRAMMY – for best new music recording (with Theatre of Voices and Ars Nova). In 2013 he was awarded the Order of Dannebrog (the Danish knighthood.)
He has taught in the USA at the University of California campuses of Santa Cruz and Davis, and from 1996–2003 was Director of the Early Music Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington. His books about Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich are published by Oxford University Press.