Elaine Martone is the most decorated classical record producer in Upstate New York history, and one of the most accomplished women in the field globally. Born in Rochester, New York, Martone studied oboe and earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College with the ambition of joining a symphony orchestra. Instead, she found her way into the recording studio — and spent the next four decades producing some of the most important classical and jazz recordings in the American catalog.
Building Telarc
In 1980, Martone joined Telarc International, the audiophile classical label co-founded by Robert Woods and Jack Renner. Over the next 29 years, she rose to Executive Vice President of Production, overseeing more than 1,500 recording projects, managing a 12-person production team, and controlling an annual budget of six million dollars. Under her leadership, Telarc became synonymous with audio excellence — a label whose recordings were prized by audiophiles and musicians alike.
Six Grammys
Martone has won seven Grammy Awards from fourteen nominations, plus a Latin Grammy. Her Grammy wins span classical and jazz categories, including the 2025 Producer of the Year, Classical — a recognition that placed her among the most honored producers in the Recording Academy’s history. Her production of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s recording of John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls won the Grammy for Best Surround Sound Album in 2010.
Her production credits include landmark recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Most, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra under Benjamin Zander, and the Empire Brass Quintet. On the jazz side, she has produced recordings for Oscar Peterson and McCoy Tyner, bringing the same exacting standards to improvised music that she applied to orchestral sessions.
Beyond the Studio
Martone’s career extended well beyond the control room. She served as Executive Producer for the Spring for Music festival at Carnegie Hall from 2011 to 2014, Festival Producer for the Ojai Music Festival from 2012 to 2019, and Interim Artistic Administrator for the Cleveland Orchestra from 2009 to 2010. She joined Sonarc Music as Recording Producer and COO with her husband Robert Woods to continue independent production work.
Rochester Legacy
Martone’s Rochester roots connect her to the city’s deep tradition of music education — the same ecosystem that produced Steve Gadd, Chuck Mangione, and Mick Guzauski. Her career is a testament to the breadth of that tradition: Rochester did not only produce performers, it produced the people who captured those performances for posterity. In a field where women producers remain rare, Martone’s six Grammys and 1,500-plus projects represent not just personal achievement but a redefinition of who gets to shape the sound of classical music.