| 1973 |
- Boston Baroque is founded by Martin Pearlman under the ensemble’s original name, “Banchetto Musicale” — the first permanent Baroque orchestra in North America.
- The ensemble launches its annual Greater Boston concert series.
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| 1974–1980 |
- Boston Baroque presents Boston’s first professional period-instrument performances of major Baroque and Classical repertoire from Monteverdi to Mozart.
- Boston Baroque helps to develop the first generation of American period-instrument performers.
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| 1981 |
- The Boston Baroque professional chamber chorus is established as an integral part of the ensemble — a first among American period-instrument groups.
- Boston Baroque presents Boston’s period-instrument premieres of Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s B Minor Mass, and Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea, in a new performing version by Martin Pearlman.
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| 1983 |
- American premiere of Rameau’s opera Zoroastre.
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| 1984 |
- Boston’s period premiere of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
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| 1984–1985 |
- Boston Baroque’s interpretation of Handel’s Messiah is acclaimed at Carnegie Hall.
- Bach’s Tercentenary marked by Boston’s first period-instrument performances of the complete concertos of J.S. Bach.
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| 1986 |
- American period-instrument premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, broadcast nationally on public radio.
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| 1987–1988 |
- American period-instrument premieres of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Violin Concerto.
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| 1989 |
- American period-instrument premiere of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
- Boston’s period-instrument premiere of Haydn’s The Creation.
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| 1992 |
- In its first commitment to period instruments, Telarc International signs Boston Baroque to produce a series of recordings of major Baroque and Classical repertoire for international commercial distribution.
- Telarc releases Boston Baroque’s recording of Handel’s Concerti grossi. Op. 6, Nos. 1–6.
- Telarc releases Handel’s Messiah.
- Messiah is nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Choral Performance.”
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| 1993–1994 |
- Telarc releases Boston Baroque’s recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.
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| 1995 |
- Telarc releases Boston Baroque’s recording of the Mozart Requiem, in a new completion by Robert Levin, named one of the three most important classical CDs of the year by CD Review.
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| 1995–1996 |
- Midwest debut: Five performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, in Chicago and Ann Arbor, in collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group.
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| 1996–1997 |
- Boston Baroque records Monteverdi’s monumental Vespers of 1610.
- Telarc releases Boston Baroque’s recording of Dido and Aeneas.
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| 1997–1998 |
- CLASSIC CD names Boston Baroque’s 1992 release “The Number One Recording of Handel’s Messiah.”
- Boston Baroque performs and records “Lost Music of Early America: Music of the Moravians,” introducing some of the most artistically significant music composed and performed in 18th century America.
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| 1998–1999 |
- Boston Baroque’s recording of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 is nominated for a Grammy Award as “Best Performance of a Choral Work.”
- Boston Baroque marks its 25th Anniversary with an event of international musical significance: the modern-day world premiere of The Philosopher’s Stone, an opera newly-discovered to include music by Mozart and to shed light on his canon.
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| 1999–2000 |
- The Philosopher’s Stone recording is featured on the cover of the September/October issue of Fanfare.
- The Philosopher’s Stone is Editor’s Choice, September 1999 issue of Opera News.
- Boston Baroque presents Boston’s first performances in fifty years of Gluck’s masterpiece Iphigénie en Tauride, featuring soprano Christine Goerke in the title role. Iphigénie will become the ensemble’s 11th recording with Telarc.
- Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque return to the repertoire of Beethoven, for the first time in ten years, performing the Seventh Symphony.
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| 2000–2001 |
- Boston Baroque receives its third Grammy nomination, for the recording of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
- BB launches Boston’s first cycle of the surviving Monteverdi operas with The Coronation of Poppea, in a new performing version by Martin Pearlman.
- BB continues its Beethoven series with its first performances of the Eroica Symphony.
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| 2001–2002 |
- Boston Baroque opens its subscription season with a semi-staged production of L’Orfeo, Part Two in its landmark 3-year series of the surviving Monteverdi operas.
- BB presents the Boston premiere of a newly discovered “Gloria” by Handel.
- Jacques Zoon — internationally acclaimed flutist and BSO principal — makes his period flute debut in Mozart’s D major concerto.
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| 2002–2003 |
- Boston Baroque completes its 3-year cycle of the Monteverdi operas with two performances of The Return of Ulysses in a new performing version by Martin Pearlman.
- Boston Baroque makes its European debut, performing Handel’s Messiah to sold-out crowds and standing ovations in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland.
- Boston Baroque continues its series of “revelatory” performances (Boston Globe) of the Beethoven symphonies, with Nos. 1 and 2.
- Telarc releases BB’s 13th recording — and the first to be released simultaneously in CD and SACD formats — Handel’s Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music.
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| 2003–2004 |
- Boston Baroque presents Boston’s first performances of Handel’s Alcina.
- Telarc releases BB’s 14th recording—the complete Bach orchestral suites, selected as an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone.
- Boston Baroque celebrates its 30th anniversary with a tour of the Monteverdi Vespers to three major American venues: Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the summer music festivals at Ravinia and Tanglewood.
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| 2004–2005 |
- Telarc releases Boston Baroque’s 15th recording—Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony and the two flute concertos featuring Jacques Zoon.
- Boston Baroque continues its Beethoven series with Symphonies Nos. 4 and No. 6 (Pastoral).
- Boston Baroque presents the fully staged regional premiere of Gluck’s Alceste in collaboration with Opera Boston.
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| 2005–2006 |
- Handel's Agrippina, dynamically staged by Sam Helfrich and featuring Twyla Robinson in the title role, Sari Gruber (Poppea) and male soprano Michael Maniaci (Nero), is called: "The finest local operatic performance in several seasons” by the Boston Globe.
- Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky writes and delivers the narration for a new production of Purcell’s Fairy Queen.
- Regional professional premiere of Cherubini's powerful Requiem in C minor. "An important re-discovery." (Boston Globe)
- Stirring performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”).
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| 2006–2007 |
- Boston Baroque returns to Mozart with a new production of Don Giovanni, staged by Sam Helfrich and featuring Nathan Berg in the title role, Nicolle Foland (Donna Anna), Amy Burton (Elvira), Heidi Stober (Zerlina) and Gustav Andreassen (Il Commendatore).
- Boston Baroque presents the first known Boston performances of Vivaldi’s sole surviving oratorio Juditha Triumphans.
- The season ends with Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8.
- Telarc releases BB’s recording of the Cherubini Requiem in C minor to rave reviews.
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| 2007–2008 |
- BB opens its season with a new production of Così fan tutte, directed by Ned Canty, and featuring mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway, sopranos Lauren Skuce and Sara Heaton, tenor Vale Rideout, baritone Hugh Russell, and bass Kevin Burdette.
- Martin Pearlman introduces Christina Day Martinson, a young virtuoso trained by BB’s historical performance program at the Boston University School of Music, in fresh and scintillating performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
- Purcell’s masques for Dryden’s play King Arthur are given a new and witty spin with narration written and performed by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.
- Boston Baroque gives two lively performances of Haydn’s masterpiece The Creation, featuring Sari Gruber, Brian Stucki, and Kevin Deas.
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| 2008–2009 |
- Boston Baroque returns to its Handel opera series with Xerxes, starring Michael Maniaci in the title role, with Amanda Forsythe (Atalanta), Ava Pine (Romilda), Marie Lenormand (Arsamene) and Leah Wool (Amastre).
- Martin Pearlman presents a program of little-known “Gems of the French Baroque” including Charpentier’s introspective Missa Assumpta est Maria, and Rameau’s exquisite opera-ballet Pigmalion, performed with dances choreographed by Marjorie Folkman, former principal with the Mark Morris Dance Group.
- The season closes with a program of Mozart and the Brothers Haydn: Michael Haydn’s Requiem in C minor for the death of Archbishop Siegmund; Mozart’s concert aria “Per Questa Bella Mano” for bass voice, double bass obbligato and orchestra, featuring BB principal double bass Deborah Dunham and bass-baritone Kevin Deas; Mozart’s “Basta vincesti … Ah non lasciarmi” with soprano Hyunah Yu; and Joseph Haydn’s brilliant Symphony No. 102.
- BB’s 19th release on Telarc—The Four Seasons—wins rave reviews including this from Gramophone: “Boston Baroque’s playing combines supreme technical precision with unexpected psychological depth … this new version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons may well represent the best of all possible worlds.”
- Boston Baroque makes its debut at the international Casals Festival in Puerto Rico with two programs—the first period-instrument orchestra and chorus invited to perform there.
- Boston Baroque joins the 21st century with its debut videos on YouTube.
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