Boston Baroque is the oldest period instrument orchestra in North America.[1] It was founded in 1973 by the American harpsichordist and conductor, Martin Pearlman, to present concerts of the Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments, drawing on the insights of the historical performance movement.[2]
The Boston Baroque professional chamber chorus was established as an integral part of the ensemble in 1981.
With Pearlman as its music director, the ensemble presents an annual subscription concert series in Greater Boston, Massachusetts; has performed on tour in Carnegie Hall, Chicago's Shubert Theatre, Los Angeles's Disney Hall, at the Ravinia and Tanglewood festivals, and has toured internationally.
The orchestra, originally named "Banchetto Musicale", was renamed Boston Baroque in 1992, when Telarc Records, in its first commitment to a period-instrument orchestra, signed the ensemble to produce a series of recordings of major Baroque and Classical repertoire for international commercial distribution.[3] In 2012, Boston Baroque became the first American orchestra to record with the highly-regarded UK audiophile label, Linn Records. Boston Baroque’s 26 acclaimed commercial recordings are frequently heard by millions on classical radio stations in North America and Europe, as well as on Boston Baroque Radio, Boston Baroque’s streaming channel. Boston Baroque’s recordings have received six GRAMMY® Award Nominations: its 1992 release of Handel’s Messiah, 1998 release of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, 2000 release of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, 2014 release of Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (two nominations), and 2017 release of Biber’s Mystery Sonatas.