About the Company

Marston was founded in 1997 by Ward Marston and Scott Kessler. Today, Marston is known worldwide for its superlative sound, informative liner notes, and extensive booklets. The company has received outstanding reviews and awards. Its mission is to preserve the great performances of the past and keep alive the traditions that were prevalent at the dawn of recording.

 

Ward Marston

Marston is a respected producer, re-recording engineer, and jazz pianist. Born blind in 1952, music has been a central part of his life and career. He studied classical piano and organ and played jazz piano throughout his life including performing as part of a jazz orchestra at the White House. He became well-known as a reissue producer in 1979, when he restored the earliest known stereo recording, made by the Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1932. He has won a Grammy Award, a Grammy nomination, the Gramophone Magazine Award for Historical Vocal Record of the Year, the ICRC Award for Historical Instrumental Record of the Year, several Classic Record Collector awards, the ARSC award for distinguished service to historical recordings, and the special achievement award from the International Classical Music Awards. According to the Chicago Tribune, Marston’s name is “synonymous with tender loving care to collectors of historical CDs.” Opera News calls his work “revelatory,” and Fanfare deems him “miraculous.”

 

Scott Kessler

Kessler has held top management positions in chamber music and jazz, and opera organizations. Shortly out of college, Kessler became the Executive Director of Music at Gretna (now Gretna Music), a summer chamber music and jazz festival in central Pennsylvania, which featured the Audubon Quartet in residence and hosted Stephane Grappelli, Dave Brubeck, George Shearing, and many other top artists. He continued his career in music as the business manager for the Pennsylvania Opera Theater in Philadelphia, an opera company dedicated to performing opera in English. Kessler has served on numerous arts organizations boards and has been the business manager of Marston Records for nearly twenty-five years.