Founded by William Summers in 2021, The London Crumhorn Consort is dedicated to restoring the crumhorn to the center of musical imagination. Long regarded as an eccentric relic of the Renaissance, members Summers, Emily Baines, Jude Rees and Peter Wendland treat it not as a museum piece but as a living instrument with the power to surprise modern ears. Their mission is to expand the possibilities of what early-music performance can sound like, inviting new audiences into the strange, compelling world of capped-reed instruments. The group performs the repertoire traditionally associated with the crumhorn, but they also champion new works from composers eager to explore its distinctive textures. 

Their performances often take place in special and historically resonant venues, spaces where the acoustics amplify the instrument’s curved timbre and conjure something close to time travel. Establishing International Crumhorn Day, celebrated annually on October 3rd, as a global invitation to (re)discover the instrument, the ensemble bring together a shared affection for the crumhorn’s idiosyncratic charm.