Indianapolis Early Music (IEM) is America's oldest continuous presenter of Early Music. Originally known by its corporate name of Festival Music Society, it was established in 1966. Each year we present artists from North America and Europe in an unusual way that brings the audience and performers together.
Meet our Artistic Director, Mark Cudek:
Mark Cudek is the former Chair of the Historical Performance Department at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, and a founding member of the Baltimore Consort. In recognition of his work as Founder/Director of both the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble and the High School Early Music Program at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Mark received from Early Music America the 2001 Thomas Binkley Award and the 2005 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Early Music Education. He is the 2014 recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association’s Global Achievement Award, was promoted to full Professor in 2018, and retired from Peabody in 2024.
Mark is a former member of Hesperus with whom he toured and recorded and was artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian Institution. He has also recorded with and was guest-director of Apollo’s Fire and performs regularly with the Folger Consort. Mark has appeared in concert at the Bavarian National Museum in Munich, Germany; Vienna Konzerthaus; Vredenburg, Utrecht; National Theatre of Panama; Glenn Gould Hall, Toronto; Metropolitan Museum, New York; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; The Kennedy Center; Folger Shakespeare Library; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; and the Frick Museum, New York.
Festival appearances include Bloomington Early Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Conciertos de la Villa de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Glasgow International Early Music Festival, Scotland; Indianapolis Early Music Festival; Madison Early Music Festival; Netwerk voor Oude Muziek, Holland; Ottawa Chamberfest, Ontario, Canada; Pfingstfestival Alter Musik, Feldkirchen, Austria; Resonanzen Festival, Vienna; Schloss-Mediale Festival, Werdenberg, Switzerland; and Tage Alter Musik, Regensburg, Germany.
Radio broadcasts of Mr. Cudek’s performances include NPR’s Performance Today, APR’s St. Paul Sunday, CBC’s On Stage at the Glenn Gould, DRB (DeutschlandRadio Berlin), Voice of America, and BBC Radio. His music has been featured in the movies “Sleepy Hollow” (with Hesperus) and “Hunter’s Moon” (with Custer LaRue). Television appearances include CNN’s Worldbeat.
Mr. Cudek has recorded over twenty-five CD’s on the Dorian, Eclectra, Golden Apple, Greenhays, Koch, Linn, Maggie's Music, Music From Peabody, and the Windham Hill labels. He appears as a side-man on Ronn McFarlane's Grammy-nominated CD "Indigo Road.”
In his youth, Mark worked as a night club guitarist in the Virgin Islands. He is an avid cyclist and lives in Baltimore with his wife, Lisa; their two daughters, Jenny and Gwen; their Jindo-mix, Kandi; and cats Patrick and Lilac.