Three British musicians and scholars founded Pro Cantione Antiqua in the '60's. They were tenor James Griffett, countertenor Paul Esswood, and conductor Mark Brown, joined by conductor and musicologist Bruno Turner. Its primary era of emphasis is the Renaissance era, the richest outpouring of polyphonic composition in history.
In addition to its Renaissance repertory, the PCA also sings considerable amounts of Medieval music.

The group is comprised of the following soloists, all, of them prominent in recital and opera: Paul Esswood, Robin Tyson, James Bowman, Timothy Penrose, and Robert Harre Jones (countertenors), James Griffett, Ian Partridge, Joseph Cornwell, and Andrew King (tenors), and Stephen Roberts, Michael George, Adrian Peacock, and David Beavan (basses/baritones).