The Organ Historical Society

What The Organ Historical Society does

The Organ Historical Society (OHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1956 and headquartered at the Stoneleigh estate in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to celebrate, preserve, and study the pipe organ in America, and it serves a community of approximately 2,500+ members comprising organists, pipe organ historians, organbuilders, restoration specialists, and enthusiasts. Core members include church, concert, and academic organists; professional organbuilders who rely on OHS documentation; and institutions such as churches, universities, and concert halls that steward historic pipe organs.

The Society's product portfolio spans publications, digital resources, events, and educational programs. It publishes The Tracker, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal running since 1956 (48+ pages per issue, with full back-issue archives), and operates OHS Press, which publishes scholarly books (e.g., Lost Pipe Organs of America, Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous 2) often through partnerships with Lorenz Publishing. Its flagship digital asset is the Pipe Organ Database at pipeorgandatabase.org, rebuilt as a relational database in January 2024 with live search and filter functionality covering pipe organs across the U.S. The OHS Library & Archives at Stoneleigh holds manuscript, archival, and special collections. Operational programs include annual national conventions rotating across U.S. and Canadian cities (each showcasing 20-27 historic organs), the E. Power Biggs Scholars Program for young concert organists, the Dr. Rollin Smith Research Grant (up to $2,000 annually), the Barbara Owen Fund providing free student membership, and the James M. Weaver Prize in Organ Scholarship.

OHS generates revenue from membership subscriptions (annual and sustaining tiers starting at $10/month), publications and book sales (via OHS Catalog at ohscatalog.org), convention registration fees, and tax-deductible donations through an annual fund drive. Distribution is largely direct through the OHS Catalog (its own e-commerce storefront), the website, and phone sales, with The Tracker and convention programs serving as primary marketing channels. The organization is operated by a small staff under a CEO (currently in transition following the March 31, 2026 resignation of W. Edward McCall) and governed by a Board of Directors. The Society is preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary, the Platinum Jubilee, at the OHS 2026 Philadelphia convention.

Name

The Organ Historical Society

Legal name

The Organ Historical Society

Website

https://organhistoricalsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Organ Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1956 that serves 2,500+ members, including organists, historians, builders, and institutions, by publishing The Tracker journal and OHS Press books, operating the Pipe Organ Database, and hosting annual national conventions and educational programs dedicated to preserving the American pipe organ.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Heritage Nonprofit

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Pipe organ preservation
• Organ historical research
• Scholarly music publishing
• Nonprofit membership society
• Musical instrument archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Villanova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and sustaining memberships (starting at $10/month) that include a subscription to The Tracker journal, members-only access, and member pricing on OHS Catalog items.
2. Publications and Book Sales: Sale of OHS Press books including Lost Pipe Organs of America, Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous 2, and convention calendars through the OHS Catalog. Also publishes through Lorenz Publishing for organ compositions.
3. Convention Registration: Registration fees for annual national conventions (e.g., OHS 2026 Philadelphia, OHS 2024 Baltimore) covering meals, transportation, recitals, and convention materials. 2024 Baltimore registration included 27 historic organs across venues.
4. Donations and Annual Fund Drive: Tax-deductible donations supporting operating expenses, the OHS Investment Fund, Library & Archives, and the E. Power Biggs Scholarship. Includes a 2.5% optional credit card processing fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Organ Historical Society (OHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and studying the pipe organ in America. Its core offerings include The Tracker quarterly journal, OHS Press scholarly publications, the online Pipe Organ Database, annual national conventions featuring historic instruments, and the OHS Library & Archives at Stoneleigh in Villanova, PA. Membership and donations sustain the organization, with scholarships and research grants supporting young organists and scholars.

Product overview

The Organ Historical Society operates as a non-profit educational organization offering a portfolio of publications, digital resources, membership programs, educational scholarships, and events centered on pipe organ preservation and scholarship. Core offerings include The Tracker (quarterly journal), the OHS Press publishing division, the Pipe Organ Database (online searchable database), and the OHS Catalog e-commerce platform. Additional services include annual national conventions, the Biggs Scholars Program, OHS Library & Archives, the National Registry for Historic Organs, research grants and prizes, and donation/fundraising programs. The society also publishes books including Lost Pipe Organs of America and Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous volumes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OHS Press: The publishing arm of the Organ Historical Society established for the advancement and dissemination of scholarship about the organ, its music, literature, cultural contexts, and performance.
• The Tracker
• OHS Library & Archives (OHSLA)
• OHS Biggs Scholars Program
• Dr. Rollin Smith Research Grant
• The Barbara Owen Fund for Education
• James M. Weaver Prize in Organ Scholarship

Products and services

• The Tracker (quarterly journal) Quarterly peer-reviewed journal of the Organ Historical Society featuring news, scholarly articles on American organ history, organbuilders, exemplary organs, regional surveys, and organ music. Most issues run 48+ pages with illustrations and photographs. Distributed to all members and institutional subscribers.
• Pipe Organ Database Comprehensive online relational database documenting pipe organs in America, indexed by location, city, and organ builder. Especially valued by organbuilders worldwide for research, organ identification, historical documentation, and restoration planning.
• OHS Press Publications Publishing division of the Organ Historical Society producing scholarly books about the organ, its music, literature, cultural contexts, and performance. Titles include Lost Pipe Organs of America and Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous 2, distributed through the OHS Catalog and Lorenz Publishing.
• OHS Membership Annual membership program offering subscriptions to The Tracker journal, members-only online access, members-only pricing on OHS Catalog items, and benefits such as gift memberships. A sustaining membership option starts at $10/month. Free memberships available through the Barbara Owen Fund for high school through master's students.
• OHS National Conventions Annual rotating national conventions featuring recitals on 20-27 historic pipe organs across multiple venues, with performances by leading organists. Recent conventions include 2024 Baltimore (27 historic organs), 2025 Milwaukee, and 2026 Philadelphia (70th anniversary). Registration includes meals, convention handbook, magazine, and optional bus packages.
• Biggs Scholars Program Scholarship program supporting young concert organists with free convention attendance and performance slots, plus overseas study trips. Named after concert organist E. Power Biggs.
• OHS Library & Archives (OHSLA) Research collection at the Stoneleigh estate in Villanova, PA, including manuscript materials, archival collections, and special collections available for scholarly research. Conducts an annual spring book sale with free shipping on USA domestic orders.
• National Registry for Historic Organs Registry actively processing applications for historic organ preservation and recognition. Used by churches, universities, and institutions that steward historic pipe organs.
• Dr. Rollin Smith Research Grant Annual grant of up to $2,000 supporting research projects related to the pipe organ including its builders, construction, history, styles, reception, composers, repertoires, organists, and performance practice.
• OHS Catalog Online catalog and e-commerce platform (ohscatalog.org) for OHS memberships, publications, books, calendars, merchandise, donations, convention registrations, and the OHSLA annual book sale.
• Lost Pipe Organs of America Scholarly book by Rollin Smith celebrating the Golden Age of pipe organ building, covering notable organs from concert halls, auditoriums, universities, hotels, world's fairs, and expositions that have been lost to history.
• Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous 2 Second volume focusing on organs associated with prominent Americans, humanitarians, organ virtuosos, famous preachers, and great composers.
• Annual Fund Drive / Donations Fundraising campaign supporting operating expenses of OHS programs, the OHS Investment Fund, OHS Library & Archives Fund, and E. Power Biggs Scholarship. Includes an optional 2.5% credit card processing fee offset.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Guild of Organists: The largest professional association for organists in the U.S. Like OHS, AGO is a membership-based organization serving church, concert, and academic organists, with chapters, conventions, and a scholarly journal — making it the closest functional peer in target audience and member-services model.
• American Musical Instrument Society: An international nonprofit dedicated to the study of musical instruments, publishing a peer-reviewed journal (like The Tracker) and curating scholarly resources on instrument history — directly comparable scholarly mission and award-based recognition structure.
• American Theatre Organ Society: A membership nonprofit devoted to preservation of theatre pipe organs, with regional chapters, conventions, and a dedicated journal. Operates a near-identical model to OHS but for theatre organs rather than concert/church pipe organs.
• The Organ Clearing House: A nonprofit service that matches historic organs with new homes, supporting preservation and restoration. Directly adjacent to OHS's National Registry for Historic Organs and conservation mission, and serves overlapping organbuilder and church customer segments.
• The Moravian Music Foundation: A small nonprofit that preserves, studies, and publishes historical music (especially Moravian sacred repertoire), operating a library/archives and scholarly publications. Comparable as a niche music-heritage nonprofit with publishing and archival assets.

Regional players

• Organ Historical Trust of Australia: The Australian analog to OHS focused on historic pipe organs in Australia, with a comparable database, journal, and heritage conservation role — useful as a regional peer demonstrating both the model and its international scope.

Emerging players

• Theatre Historical Society of America: A nonprofit membership organization dedicated to documenting and preserving historic theatres in America, with a journal, annual conventions, and archival collections — a structural analog in heritage-asset preservation and member-driven scholarship.
• American Musicological Society: A scholarly society supporting music research, including organ repertoire and history, through publications and annual meetings. Shares the academic-journal and conference model with OHS, though its scope across all music history is broader.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Division of Musical Instruments: Houses one of the world's most significant collections of pipe organs and other American instruments, with curatorial, exhibition, and archival functions that overlap OHS's documentation and preservation mission — though operating at vastly larger scale and with government affiliation.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: A large national nonprofit focused on preserving historic places, including culturally significant buildings that house pipe organs. Comparable advocacy, registry, and member-based structure, though operating at a much broader scope than OHS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OrganSociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/organhistoricalsociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Organ Historical Society