The ensemble's repertoire covers the sweep of religious, stage, and chamber music of the 17th Century by such giants as Claudio Monteverdi, Giacomo Carissimi, Alessandro Stradella, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Heinrich Schütz, Dieterich Buxtehude, Henry Purcell, and lesser-known and infrequently performed composers of the era.
Magnificat's annual concerts, recordings, and participation in music festivals have won audience and critical acclaim, and engaged the collaboration of respected scholars and musicologists.
A premier musical establishment severely damaged by fire, its rededication drew the collaboration of major composers of North Germany.
Following the composer's suggestion Magnificat performed Heinrich Schütz’ Musikalische Exequien as a paraphrase for the Kyrie and Gloria in a Lutheran mass for the Feast of the Purification at the Berkeley Early Music Festival in 1996 and again in their own series in 2009.
Because much music of the 17th century still remains unavailable, performing editions have been prepared from original manuscript sources by Stewart and musicologists on Magnificat's Artistic Advisory Board.
Musical reconstruction of the 1607 Re-Dedication of St. Gertrude's Chapel in Hamburg CD's and downloads of these recordings are available at Magnificat's website as are selections of individual pieces from its performances.