The Magdalena Consort has a distinctive sound shaped both by historical research and by the group's preponderance of virtuoso singers and instrumentalists. The Consort has performed sacred vocal music from Monteverdi to Bach but has specialized in the somewhat neglected field of the 17th century English consort anthem.

The Magdalena Consort was founded in 2008 by baritone Peter Harvey, an experienced singer who has appeared on some 80 albums, collaborated with many of the leading early music conductors and performed as a soloist on the "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage" mounted by the Monteverdi Choir and director John Eliot Gardiner. The group gave its premiere performance at the Festival of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and has since attracted invitations to top venues and festivals. The Magdalena Consort comprises a select group of international instrumental and vocal soloists. It is essentially a chamber group, but both the instrumental and vocal contingents can expand as needed, according to what the group determines is historically appropriate for the work. That determination is based on research, and the Consort has worked closely with musicologist Bill Hunt to determine how English consort anthems might have sounded in the 17th century, but the group's performances are not dry academic re-creations: they are virtuoso events that bring details of the music into sharp relief. The Magdalena Consort gives performances free of charge in hospices, designating these performances as "Musical Offerings."

The Magdalena Consort's recordings have been critically acclaimed. The first one appeared in 2014 on the Channel Classics label; entitled Recreation for the Soul, it featured a trio of Bach cantatas with the choral sections sung with one voice per part. The group moved to Signum Classics for the two volumes of In Chains of Gold, released in 2017 and 2020, showcasing the group's researches into the English Pre-Restoration Verse Anthem. ~ James Manheim, Rovi