Marc Minkowski is Appointed Boston Baroque’s New Musical Director
Internationally acclaimed early music expert will kick off the 2026-2027 season. Minkowski succeeds longtime founding Musical Director Martin Pearlman, who served for more than 50 years.
(Boston, MA) Marc Minkowski, known for his breadth of repertoire over the span of his 50+ year career as a conductor and one of today’s foremost interpreters of early music, will join Boston Baroque as its Music Director, the organization announced today. He succeeds founder and Music Director Martin Pearlman, who served the organization for more than five decades. Maestro Minkowski will begin the 2026-2027 season with a September performance of Haydn’s The Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten). Filippo Ciabatti also joins the Boston Baroque artistic team in the newly created role of Principal Guest Conductor.
“We are excited to welcome Marc, a visionary international force in Baroque and classical
music,” said David Friend, chair of Boston Baroque’s Board of Directors. “He is a conductor of
extraordinary imagination and distinction, and his appointment provides continuity for assured
musical excellence and bold momentum for the future.”
Involved in artistic leadership since his teenage years, Minkowski, at only 18, founded the internationally renowned ensemble Les Musiciens du Louvre in Paris. He is also the founder of the Festival Ré Majeure in France, the former artistic director of the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, and, from 2016 to 2021, the General Manager of Opéra national de Bordeaux. He regularly conducts top orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, the Kanazawa Ensemble Orchestra in Japan, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Minkowski balances his schedule between operatic and symphonic repertoire, conducting at the world’s leading opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, the Zurich Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Salzburg Festival.
In the 2026/27 season, Minkowski will lead three of Boston Baroque’s five concerts: Haydn’s The Seasons in September, an all-Beethoven New Year’s Celebration concert, and an evening including Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in the spring. The season will also include the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, as well as the spring opera, a double bill of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, led by Lionel Meunier. More information on the season is available at bostonbaroque.org.
“I am thrilled to join Boston Baroque and to begin this new chapter together.”
said Minkowski. “The ensemble’s artistry, distinctive voice, and international reputation are
deeply inspiring. I have great admiration for the foundation Martin Pearlman has built, in Boston and across the world. I look forward to working with these accomplished musicians and
sharing this extraordinary repertoire with Boston audiences.”
Minkowski is widely recognized for his interpretations of George Frideric Handel and other
Baroque masters. He is an authority in the French Baroque repertoire and has built an
acclaimed discography of Baroque opera, including celebrated recordings of Jean-Philippe
Rameau works, such as Platée, and a Grammy-nominated recording of Handel’s Hercules.
“Working with Marc on this past New Year’s performance was an extraordinary experience for
our musicians,” said Sarah Radcliffe-Marrs, Boston Baroque’s Executive Director. “He brings a
rare combination of precision, energy, and deep musical insight, and the chemistry between
Marc and the musicians were immediately clear. We’re thrilled to welcome Marc back in this
new role.”
Born and raised in Paris, by an American mother and French/Polish father, Minkowski
began his studies at the Monteux School in Maine, and has maintained an international
presence, studying and performing around the world. Now, as he steps into his new role as Music Director of Boston Baroque, he is especially excited to reconnect with his American roots, establish a meaningful artistic home in the United States, and deepen his connection with audiences here.
ABOUT BOSTON BAROQUE
Founded in 1973 as “Banchetto Musicale” by Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque is one of the world’s leading period-instrument orchestras, internationally celebrated for performances that are lively, emotionally charged, and boldly imaginative. From historic premiers to global digital audiences, Boston Baroque continues to redefine how Baroque and classical music are experienced today.
The ensemble has performed at major music centers across the United States and visited Prague in 2024 to perform select works from the Lobkowicz Collections. Boston Baroque reaches an international audience with its twenty-six acclaimed recordings. In 2012, the ensemble became the first American orchestra to record with the highly-regarded UK audiophile label Linn Records, and its release of The Creation received great critical acclaim.
In April 2014, the orchestra recorded Monteverdi’s rarely performed opera, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, which was released on Linn Records and received two nominations at the 2016 GRAMMY® Awards. Boston Baroque's six GRAMMY Award nominations have been for the following recordings: its 1992 release of Handel's Messiah, 1998 release of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, 2000 release of Bach's Mass in B Minor, 2015 release of Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, and 2018 release of Biber's The Mystery Sonatas.