Pegasus Early Music is a non-profit early music concert series based in Rochester, NY, founded in 2005 and led by artistic director and lutenist Deborah Fox.  Pegasus presents an annual series of four to five concerts by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists who specialize in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music.  Pegasus artists perform on period instruments with attention to current and cutting edge standards of historical performance practice and musicological research. To evoke the intimacy inherent in the salons where early music chamber concerts originally would have occurred, Pegasus concerts are held at venues carefully chosen for their ambiance, acoustics, and moderate size.  

To the musicians who perform in this series, early music is a living art form, with its dynamic tradition of improvisation and innovation; its spirit of intense collaboration; its incredible ability to communicate sophisticated human instincts and emotions; and its chamber-style direct intimacy. We are passionately convinced that early music can be meaningful within the context of contemporary society, and we want to share that with our audience.

Pegasus Early Music also strives to promote collaborations among various arts organizations as well as between performing artists and audience members.  Pegasus has collaborated with such organizations as NYS Baroque, Downtown Arts Link, the Eastman School of Music, Nazareth College, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester City Ballet, and the University of Rochester’s Humanities Project.  Each concert includes opportunities for interaction between performers and audiences through pre-concert talks, exhibits and demonstrations, social receptions, and master classes with area students.  Participating musicians include such renowned artists as violinists Libby Wallfisch, Robert Mealy and Julie Andrijeski, lutenist Paul O’Dette, fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, and sopranos Julianne Baird and Rochester native Laura Heimes.

Click here to view the variety of our past seasons!