Oratorio Society of New York

What Oratorio Society of New York does

The Oratorio Society of New York (OSNY) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1873 by Leopold Damrosch. It operates a 200-voice volunteer chorus that performs oratorio masterworks with full orchestra at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall — the building the Society helped inaugurate in 1891 under the direction of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Society presents a five-concert season led by Music Director Kent Tritle (in post since the 2005-06 season), featuring repertoire from Baroque masterworks (Handel's Messiah in its 152nd consecutive year, Bach B minor Mass) to contemporary premieres commissioned from Pulitzer and Grammy winners Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell (Sanctuary Road, Grammy-nominated 2021; A Nation of Others; All Shall Rise, 2025).

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: ticket sales and season subscriptions (three Carnegie Hall concerts at a 10% discount with no box office fees); individual donations accepted via Zelle, credit card, or check, acknowledged in concert programs; and chorus member dues of $200 per season (waivable for financial hardship). Additional support comes from corporate and foundation sponsors (BNY Mellon, Davis Polk, Greenberg Traurig, PSEG, Lidia M. Bastianich Foundation, The Casement Fund), public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts, and recording distribution partnerships with Naxos Records and Lexicon Classics. The Society maintains a 12-person administrative team (Executive Director Erica Jacobsohn, Member Librarian DiAnn Pierce, Graphic Designer/Webmaster Steven Caldicott Wilson, plus contracted artistic staff) supported by approximately 200 volunteer singers.

The organization's audience and customer segments are primarily (i) classical music concertgoers in New York City attending Carnegie Hall and Cathedral of St. John the Divine performances, (ii) avocational singers 18+ recruited through annual September auditions who pay seasonal dues and are required to sell six tickets per concert, and (iii) emerging professional oratorio singers participating in the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition (founded 1977, 50th anniversary in 2027). Distribution is concentrated on Carnegie Hall as primary venue, with direct ticket sales (single tickets and subscriptions) and digital channels (website osny.org, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram) serving as the principal marketing and audience-acquisition surfaces. The Society explicitly states that ticket sales alone do not cover concert production costs, making the donor and sponsorship base essential to ongoing operations.

Name

Oratorio Society of New York

Legal name

Oratorio Society of New York

Website

https://osny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Oratorio Society of New York is a 200-voice volunteer chorus founded in 1873 that performs oratorio masterworks at Carnegie Hall, serving classical music audiences, avocational singers, and emerging professional soloists through its five-concert season and Lyndon Woodside Solo Competition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Choral Concert Performance

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAB

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAMANAC

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Music Education (Instrumental & Vocal)

Keywords

• Choral performance services
• Classical concert performances
• Oratorio ensemble performances
• Performing arts organization
• Live choral concerts

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual concert tickets and season subscriptions. Subscriptions offer 10% discount with no box office fees.
2. Individual Donations: Donors contribute via Zelle, credit card, or check. Donors are acknowledged in concert programs and on the website.
3. Member Dues: Chorus members pay $200 per season, with financial hardship waivers available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Oratorio Society of New York is a 200-voice volunteer choral ensemble founded in 1873 that performs grand oratorio masterworks at Carnegie Hall and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Its core offerings include an annual Carnegie Hall concert season (headlined by the 152nd consecutive annual Handel's Messiah), a Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition, chorus membership for avocational singers, and a Choral Scholars Program. The organization also commissions and premieres new choral works.

Product overview

The Oratorio Society of New York is a volunteer 200-voice choral ensemble founded in 1873, serving as New York's standard for grand choral performance. The organization's core offerings center on its season concert series at Carnegie Hall featuring classical oratorio masterworks, highlighted by its iconic annual Handel\u2019s Messiah tradition in its 152nd consecutive year. Additional offerings include the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition (50th Anniversary in 2027), the Choral Scholars Program supporting emerging professional singers, and chorus membership for avocational singers. The Society also commissions new works, including Grammy-nominated compositions by Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 26-27 Season Concert Series Season subscription offering multiple concerts including Fauré Requiem, Beethoven and Brahms works, and Bach Mass in B minor performed at Carnegie Hall and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, for classical music audiences in New York City.
• Handel's Messiah Performances Annual performances of Handel's Messiah at Carnegie Hall during the holiday season, New York's longest-running Messiah tradition, now in its 152nd consecutive year, for concert audiences and subscribers.
• Rachmaninoff Vespers Performance Performances of excerpts from Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil (Vespers), featuring intimate performances at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine with free admission.
• Chorus Membership Program 200-voice volunteer chorus performing oratorio masterworks with full orchestra at Carnegie Hall; members participate in rehearsals and concert performances from September through May, paying $200 seasonal dues with hardship waivers.
• Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition The longest-running and most prestigious oratorio solo competition of its kind, featuring a Finals Concert with eight finalists, showcasing emerging oratorio singers at the start of their careers, for concert audiences and the wider choral music community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 152 consecutive years of annual Messiah performances - one of longest-running concert traditions in American musical life
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BNY MellonminorOthersCorporate supporter acknowledged on the Supporters page
• Davis PolkminorOthersLegal firm supporter acknowledged on the Supporters page
• Greenberg Traurig LLPminorOthersLaw firm supporter acknowledged on the Supporters page
• New York City Department of Cultural AffairscoreOthersSupported in part by public funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
• New York State Council on the ArtscoreOthersSupported in part by New York State Council on the Arts
• Naxos RecordsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecording label that distributes OSNY's Grammy-nominated Sanctuary Road recording
• Lexicon ClassicsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecording label that distributes OSNY's A Nation of Others recording

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Metropolitan Opera: NYC's largest performing arts institution, presenting opera and occasionally choral-orchestral works, competing for high-end classical patrons, Lincoln Center/Carnegie audiences, and donor dollars with OSNY.
• New York Philharmonic: Major NYC symphony orchestra that performs choral-orchestral masterworks at David Geffen Hall, competing for the same classical concert audience and donor base as OSNY across the NYC market.

Direct peers

• The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: New York-based professional choir known for Bach and Handel oratorio performances including a notable annual Messiah, sharing NYC geography, sacred oratorio repertoire, and Carnegie-adjacent audience base with OSNY.
• Handel and Haydn Society: Boston-based chorus and orchestra founded in 1815 that performs Baroque and Classical oratorio masterworks, including a long-running annual Handel Messiah tradition, making it the closest historical and repertoire peer to OSNY.
• Apollo's Fire: Cleveland-based Baroque orchestra and choir founded by Jeannette Sorrell, performing Bach and Handel masterworks on period instruments with a touring and recording program similar in artistic scope to OSNY.
• The English Concert: Internationally touring period-instrument orchestra and chorus performing Baroque and Classical repertoire including Handel Messiah and Bach Passions, comparable to OSNY in oratorio programming and choral-orchestral presentation.
• Voices of Ascension: New York City-based professional choral ensemble performing sacred masterworks at venues including the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, comparable in NYC choral-orchestral repertoire programming.
• MasterVoices: New York-based choral organization performing orchestral-choral works at Carnegie Hall and other major venues, directly comparable in geography, venue usage, and choral-orchestral programming model.
• Musica Sacra: New York City-based professional choir specializing in sacred choral repertoire, also directed by Kent Tritle, and operating in overlapping venues and repertoire with OSNY.

Others

• Chorus America: National service organization for the choral art that awarded Kent Tritle its Michael Korn Founders Award; it is an industry umbrella rather than a performing peer, but a key ecosystem connector for choruses including OSNY.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oratoriosocietyofny
• Instagraminstagram.com/oratoriosociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oratorio-society-of-new-york

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Oratorio Society of New York