The Consort was active until around 1990, although some members including Leonhardt himself continued to perform after that date.
The ensemble was based in the Netherlands, although it included people whom Leonhardt knew from Vienna, where he taught at the Academy of Music at the beginning of the 1950s.
When it was founded the ensemble consisted of Leonhardt, his wife Marie (a violinist) and other string players.
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach was central to the work of Leonhardt and his ensemble.
The ensemble participated in Bach's St Matthew Passion with the Groningse Bachvereniging, conducted by Johan van der Meer.