Paul Cienniwa's 2008-2009 concert season included performances at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival and in Chicago with violinist Rachel Barton Pine. His direction of Handel's Alcina for Boston Opera Collaborative prompted Boston EDGE to write that "his playing was expert" and the Boston Musical Intelligencer to report that "[his] music pacing was expert". For the Bach Viola da Gamba Sonatas with cellist Audrey Cienniwa, KBAQ radio (Phoenix, AZ) called his ability to accompany "spot-on...perfect". Following his undergraduate studies at DePaul University with harpsichordist Roger Goodman and organist Jerome Butera, he received the DMA degree from Yale University, where he was a student of Richard Rephann. He has also studied harpsichord with Peter Watchorn, John Whitelaw and David Schrader. He has been awarded BAEF and Fulbright grants, and his musicological articles have appeared in American and European journals, including Early Music and Ad Parnassum. In addition to leading Newport Baroque, he is director of Sine Nomine choral ensemble and Music Director at First Church in Boston, where he can be heard weekly on WERS (88.9 FM) Boston.