The Pennsylvania Consort Society was founded in 1982 and included a community chorus and a chamber orchestra. Each summer until 1989, the group performed ambitious classical works several times a year, including at the Bedford Springs Festival for the Performing Arts. When the the festival ended, Ken Carper, an Eastman School graduate and the Society's founder, expanded the organization's scope. In 1990, he created a Guest Artist Series to present a variety of outstanding music to Bedford-area audiences.

Today, the renamed Pennsylvania Consort sponsors a six-concert Guest Artist Series in the fall and spring each year, six free outdoor summer music concerts, a performance each December of Handel's Messiah and educational programs in the schools. The all-volunteer organization keeps concert ticket prices low to encourage a wide audience, and relies on donations, advertising revenue, and grants to sustain its activities.