Joel Cohen, born on May 29, 1942, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, was an American musician specializing in early music. He studied at Harvard University and furthered his training in Europe. He began his career with the Boston Camerata, serving as its Music Director from 1968 to 2008. He founded the Camerata Mediterranea ensemble in 1990. During this period, he produced numerous critically-acclaimed recordings, including Le Roman de Fauvel (1990), Liberty Tree: Early American Music 1776–1861 (1998), and Le Voir-Dit (2009). His work often blended music with storytelling, exploring social and cultural contexts, such as in A Mediterranean Christmas, Carmina Burana, and The American Vocalist. He passed away on July 26, 2026, at the age of 84.
