The Camerata was founded in 1984 by conductor Jeremy Summerly[1] and singers David Hurley and Henrietta Cowling and gave its first performance on 22 May of that year.

[2] The ensemble consists of a core membership of fifteen singers,[3] though personnel size varies according to the demands of the repertoire.

While the Camerata is known for performing primarily unaccompanied repertoire, it has also performed accompanied repertoire, employing the services of the Oxford Camerata Instrumental Ensemble (founded 1992) and the Oxford Camerata Baroque Orchestra (founded 2007).

[4] In spring 1991, Naxos signed Summerly and the Camerata to a five-album contract to record a number of Renaissance masterworks, with recording sessions commencing in July of that year.

[5] Following the success of the initial five albums, Naxos continued to release albums by the Camerata, eventually branching out beyond Renaissance repertoire to include recordings of the original 1888 version of Fauré's Requiem and medieval music by Hildegard von Bingen.