Literally meaning ‘rooster song’ or ‘cock crow’, Gallicantus was a name used in monastic antiquity for the office held just before dawn, which celebrated the renewal of life and offered a sense of gratitude and optimism for the coming day. The membership of the group shares a wealth of experience in consort singing, and is bound by a belief in the rhetorical power of great Renaissance music. Under the direction of Gabriel Crouch, Gallicantus creates performances and recordings which explore narratives and draw out unifying themes within their apparently diverse repertoire. Gallicantus has performed in many significant venues and festivals in the UK (Wigmore Hall, Spitalfields Festival, York Early Music Festival, Temple Winter Music Festival), as well as Germany, Austria (Trigonale Festival), Poland (Wroclaw Festival), Italy, and the low countries (Utrecht Early Music Festival). In the USA the group holds regular residencies at Princeton and Yale Universities, and in 2017 made its Carnegie Hall debut in New York.

Gallicantus has released five CDs on the Signum label, each garnering lavish praise. With Hymns, Psalms and Lamentations, dedicated to the music of Robert White, critics acclaimed 'impassioned, exciting music' (The Times), whilst Gramophone declared: 'What an outstanding disc … the opening of the Lamentations could stand as a kind of illuminated initial at the beginning of a gorgeous manuscript, so transparent and luminous is it.' Their second recording, Dialogues of Sorrow—Passions on the Death of Prince Henry (1612), was described as 'one of the best choral releases of the year' by TheArtsDesk.com, possessing 'singing of clarity, suppleness and poignancy' (The Daily Telegraph); whilst International Record Review proclaimed 'this is a well sung, intelligently produced and exhaustively researched project, which deserves great success'. The 2012 release The Word Unspoken, featuring music by William Byrd and Philippe de Monte was equally well received, with The Sunday Times saying 'The intensity of the music is reflected in Gallicantus’s beautifully shaped performances'. It was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone, which noted that 'the ensemble’s view is delivered with such intelligence and rhetorical persuasiveness that the cumulative weight of their Byrd, in particular, is well-nigh symphonic in effect'. The group’s fourth CD—the remarkable Lagrime di San Pietro by Lassus—cemented Gallicantus as one of Europe’s foremost early music ensembles, earning a second consecutive ‘Editor’s Choice’ selection from Gramophone, as well as nomination for a coveted Gramophone Award in 2014. The group’s most recent release, Queen Mary’s Big Belly (2017), garnered another ‘Editor’s Choice’ award from Early Music Today, for its ‘sumptuous music performed with supreme artistry … brilliant, both musicologically and artistically.’