The Cardinall's Musick

Founded in 1989, The Cardinall’s Musick is acclaimed worldwide for its award-winning recordings and expressive concert performances. Taking its name from the 16th-century English cardinal, Thomas Wolsey, the group’s reputation grew from its extensive study of music from the English Renaissance. Under the direction of Andrew Carwood, The Cardinall’s embraces a wide range of styles and periods: from complete reconstructions of historical events to the world premieres of commissions from composers such as Michael Finnissy, Simon Whalley, Matthew Martin and Judith Weir.

A unique quality of The Cardinall’s Musick lies in the ability of its singers to perform as soloists within a seamless vocal team, “preserving their vocal personalities rather than striving for a mellifluous blend… resulting in a vibrant texture of timbres” (The Telegraph). Coupled with this are thoughtful programmes designed to stimulate and enlighten, to broaden horizons, and to bring a fresh approach to standard repertoire. It is for this dynamic, sincere sound and engaging programming that The Cardinall’s Musick has become renowned: “the voices of Andrew Carwood and his eight cohorts could probably start a blaze in the Antarctic!” (The Times).

The Cardinall’s Musick’s discography has received much praise and includes music by Nicholas Ludford, William Cornysh, Robert Fayrfax, Lassus, Palestrina and Victoria. They have won the Gramophone Award for Early Music four times: in 1995, 2006, 2007 and 2010 for recordings of Fayrfax, Tallis and Byrd. The final volume of the group’s complete Latin works of William Byrd, Infelix ego, was named ‘Recording of the Year’ at the 2010 Gramophone awards, only the second time an early music recording has won this prestigious prize. The Cardinall’s Musick has also received a French Diapason d’Or, a German Schallplatten Kritik Preis and a Schallplatten Echo award.

The group has appeared at the most prestigious festivals and venues in the UK and throughout Europe. They enjoy a close relationship and regular sold-out concerts at Wigmore Hall, London and have performed at festivals such as Spitalfields, Bath, Chester, Aldeburgh, the Three Choirs, and the Southbank Centre. In 2015, The Cardinall’s Musick opened the BBC Proms Chamber Music series at Cadogan Hall with an extraordinary performance of Thomas Tallis’s 40-part motet Spem in alium and a world premiere by British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad.