While a post-graduate student at the Royal College of Music he founded The Musicall Compass - a specialist baroque ensemble comprising chorus, period instruments and soloists. He has directed them in concert and staged performances of 17th and 18th century operas, masques, oratorios and cantatas, as well as in newly composed works. They perform annually at the Wigmore Hall, where their debut was highly acclaimed by the Independent, who described it as a triumph, awarding the concert four stars. Their first ever fully staged opera production was given to sell-out audiences at the Royal Opera House, Linbury Studio Theatre.

Crispin is also the conductor of Luton Choral Society (60-70 voices), and of Noah’s Company, an opera company devoted to involving children in music. With them, he recently conducted the much publicised London production of Britten’s Noyes Fludde, which involved over 1000 children and a cast including Catherine Wynn Rogers and Tim Piggott-Smith.

He is regularly engaged as a guest conductor by symphony orchestras, baroque orchestras and choirs. Crispin has also performed professionally as violinist, baroque violinist, solo singer, choral singer, and keyboard continuo player, and has made many editions of 17th and 18th century music for publication.