Since 1980, the Boston Early Music Festival has been at the forefront for excellence in the field of Early Music throughout North America. The biennial Festival brings together the finest performers, scholars, and instrument makers who represent the cutting edge of discoveries in the field. Across four decades, BEMF has evolved with the field, expanding from its original role as a presenter of artists and ensembles to become ever more identified with its own opera productions and concert performances. Since 1997, under the leadership of Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, BEMF has produced a Baroque opera as its centerpiece at each Festival, with the unique mission of discovering the lost jewels of 17th- and early 18th-century opera. Many of these productions have been North American premieres by important composers often unknown to modern audiences. With the addition of Gilbert Blin as Opera Director, Robert Mealy as Orchestra Director, and Melinda Sullivan as Dance Director, the BEMF artistic team is now experiencing a “golden age” of opera production, which is also represented on a series of GRAMMY-winning and GRAMMY-nominated recordings.