Since 1989, The Cardinall’s Musick, directed by Andrew Carwood, has forged for itself a formidable reputation. Originally known for bringing neglected masterworks of the English Renaissance to a wider public, the group has thrilled audiences with its expressive, vibrant and moving interpretations - characteristics not always associated with performances of music from this early period. This expressiveness comes from the open and soloistic way in which the singers are encouraged to perform within the consort and from the confidence of a unique partnership; a partnership between awareness of the music and text and a vital emphasis on academic excellence. The co-director musicologist, David Skinner, freshly edits the music from the original manuscripts (or contemporary printed editions).

Ten years on, The Cardinall's Musick now embraces a wide range of styles and periods, from a complete reconstruction of a mass in Hampton Court from the time of Henry VIII to the world premiere Palm-Sunday, a new piece written for the group by Michael Finnissy. Equally at home in the music of the sixteenth, seventeenth or twentieth centuries, The Cardinall’s Musick presents thoughtful, themed programmes designed to stimulate and enlighten, to broaden horizons but also to look at standard repertoire with a fresh eye. Praised as being ‘erotic' by the Daily Telegraph, the group has performed at the most prestigious festivals in Great Britain including Spitalfields, Aldeburgh, the South Bank and the Proms.

The Cardinall’s Musick (exclusive artists with ASV Records) has recorded a number of CDs to great critical acclaim, including the festal Masses and Antiphons of Nicholas Ludford, the complete works of Robert Fayrfax, and is now embarked on a remarkable project to record the works of England's greatest composer, William Byrd. This groundbreaking series has been warmly welcomed by critics and the public alike. The CD of music by Tomas Luis da Victoria signals a broadening of repertoire on disc in order to reflect the wide variety of music performed live in concert. In 1995, The Cardinall’s Musick received the Gramophone Award for Early Music and has subsequently received a French Diapason d'Or, a German Schallplatten Kritik Preis and the Schallplatten Echo Award in 1999.