Celebrate Martin Pearlman's 52 Seasons With Your Gift Today
In just about two months, Martin Pearlman will conduct his final performances as Music Director of Boston Baroque, the ensemble he founded as Banchetto Musicale 52 seasons ago. Since then, Marty has conducted hundreds of performances featuring works by composers from Bach (Johann Sebastian as well as sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian) to Vivaldi. He’s recorded 26 commercial recordings with the orchestra he founded – recordings that earned six GRAMMY nominations – and built an audience for Baroque and Classical music in Boston and in the 55 countries on six continents that enjoy Boston Baroque digitally.
And that’s just what he’s done onstage.
Martin Pearlman conducting in 2006
Behind the scenes, Marty has nurtured a generation of artists who have had the opportunity to specialize on period instruments thanks to his forward thinking and innovation. His work has been a driving force behind a continually growing audience for period instrument performance. And his legacy will live on in Boston Baroque.
One of the hallmarks of Marty’s tenure is his willingness to be adventurous as an artist. The 1973 concerts that ultimately led to the creation of Boston Baroque were just the first examples of Marty’s creative vision. The firsts that have occurred with Marty at the podium – including the first Boston period-instrument performances of Handel’s Messiah (1981) and Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio (2018) – highlight a career marked by artistic experimentation, exuberance, and unparalleled music making.
Soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer and tenor William Burden in Boston Baroque's 2018 production of Beethoven's Fidelio.
To honor Marty and his work, we have set an ambitious goal of $200,000 to establish a current-use fund enabling Boston Baroque to take on projects celebrating the creativity, consummate professionalism, and commitment to excellence we have all enjoyed under Marty’s musical leadership.
To date, we have raised over $80,000 in support of this initiative. As Marty’s final season comes to a close, we invite you to thank him for 52 seasons of the highest caliber of Baroque and Classical performance by making your special gift today, in honor of Marty and in support of Boston Baroque.
As Music Director, Martin Pearlman has shown us – indeed, the world – that early music is relevant, vibrant, and worthy of performance at the highest levels. This is the legacy he leaves, one we hope you will join us in celebrating.
Martin Pearlman in the 2024/2025 season opener, Haydn’s The Creation.
If you haven’t yet purchased your tickets for Marty’s final performances of the season, there’s still time: don’t miss our upcoming concerts featuring the Boston Baroque debut of soprano Erin Morley, or our first-ever production of Handel’s Ariodante.