Martin Pearlman

American conductor and harpsichordist Martin Pearlman studied harpsichord with both Ralph Kirkpatrick and Gustav Leonhardt, receiving degrees in music from Cornell and Yale Universities. In 1973, he founded the period instrument orchestra and chorus Banchetto Musicale, which he later renamed Boston Baroque. With this ensemble, Pearlman presented the Boston premiere of the surviving Monteverdi operas (including his own performing editions for L'incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno d'Ulisse), the American premiere of Rameau's Zoroastre, and the modern world premiere of the 1790 singspiel The Philosopher's Stone (with music by Mozart). His completion and orchestration of music from Mozart's Lo sposo deluso and his performing version of Purcell's Comical History of Don Quixote were both premiered by Boston Baroque. Pearlman directs the Department of Historical Performance Activities at Boston University, where Boston Baroque is an ensemble-in-residence. He has released several recordings on Telarc, three of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards (Handel's Messiah, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, and Bach's Mass in B minor). He has appeared as guest conductor with the Washington Opera, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, Utah Opera, Opera Columbus, Boston Lyric Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Springfield Symphony, and the New World Symphony.