Association of Anglican Musicians

What Association of Anglican Musicians does

The Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1966 by James Litton, Raymond Glover, and Gerre Hancock, serving professional musicians and clergy in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. Headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (mailing address) and incorporated in Michigan, AAM operates with a small paid staff of three (Executive Director Patrick Fennig, Membership Assistant Jonathan Scarozza, Social Media Manager Karen Szabo) supported by a volunteer board led by President Michael Kleinschmidt, Vice President Susan Jane Matthews, and Treasurer Joe Galema.

AAM's core offerings include The Journal of AAM (a bi-monthly publication distributed to 950+ members and institutions), an Annual Conference (the 2026 Atlanta Conference is the 60th anniversary), a Placement Service for musicians and churches, and a portfolio of grants including the James Litton Grant ($3,500), Raymond Glover Grant ($3,500), Brittenback-Meezan Presidential Award ($3,000), and the Gerre Hancock 10-month paid internship ($20,000 stipend plus $7,500 from AAM). The Journal maintains a searchable index of 800+ articles. The technology base is a Wix-hosted website integrated with Zeffy for zero-fee payment processing, Mailchimp for semi-monthly email broadcasts, and Zapier for workflow automation. Music publication partnerships with ECS Publishing Group and Church Publishing Incorporated (RiteSong) extend the AAM Series of new choral, organ, and congregational music.

The revenue model rests on five streams: annual membership dues ($130 Regular, $65 Retired, $0 Student underwritten by the Delbert Disselhorst Trust, $130 Affiliate, plus lifetime options at $3,250/$1,625), conference registration ($625 members, $750 non-members, daily rates $75-$300, exhibitor fees $400), donations and an Endowment Fund exceeding $1.6 million (with nearly $350,000 awarded historically through grants), placement listing fees ($100 for one month, $200 for three months), and journal sponsorships ($50-$750 per issue). The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with annual conferences as the primary demand-generation event and The Journal as the principal retention mechanism. AAM reports no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no investor ownership; control rests with its membership through an elected board.

Name

Association of Anglican Musicians

Legal name

Association of Anglican Musicians

Website

https://anglicanmusicians.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Association of Anglican Musicians is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1966 that serves professional musicians and clergy in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion through membership, publications, conferences, grants, and career placement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Music Professional Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Church music association
• Professional development grants
• Liturgical music publications
• Episcopal clergy networking
• Music career placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual dues from members: Regular $130, Retired $65, Student $0 (underwritten by Delbert Disselhorst Trust), Affiliate $130, Lifetime memberships available at $3,250 (regular) or $1,625 (retired).
2. Conference Registration: Revenue from annual conference attendance: AAM Members $625, Non-members $750, daily rates from $75-$300, exhibitor fees $400.
3. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations to Annual Fund and Endowment Fund. Endowment Fund currently over $1.6 million, with nearly $350,000 awarded through AAM Endowment Grants historically. Specific grant programs include James Litton Grant ($3,500), Raymond Glover Grant ($3,500), Brittenback-Meezan Presidential Award ($4,000).
4. Placement Service Fees: Job listing fees: one-month listing $100, three-month listing $200, additional $50 for email feature to all members.
5. Journal Sponsorships: Bi-monthly journal publication with sponsorship opportunities ranging from $50 (business card) to $750 (full page insert) per issue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Association of Anglican Musicians is a nonprofit professional membership association serving musicians and clergy in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. It delivers value through tiered annual membership, a bi-monthly professional journal, an annual conference, a career placement service for church musician vacancies, multiple grant programs for professional development, a paid internship, and music publication partnerships that distribute new choral and congregational music.

Product overview

The Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) is a membership-led nonprofit organization serving professional musicians and clergy in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services centered around professional development, advocacy, and community for church musicians. Core offerings include The Journal of AAM (a bi-monthly professional publication), the Placement Service (career placement for musicians and churches), and an Annual Conference providing worship, education, and fellowship. AAM operates grant programs including the James Litton Grant, Raymond Glover Grant, Brittenback-Meezan Presidential Award, and the Gerre Hancock Internship. Music publication partnerships with ECS Publishing Group and Church Publishing Incorporated expand access to new choral, organ, and congregational music. The Lay Professional Advocacy Committee supports lay employees within the wider Episcopal Church. Membership supports over 900 members with benefits including conference discounts, Journal access, Placement Service, and professional development resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Journal of AAM A bi-monthly professional periodical (six issues per year) featuring articles and resources meant to enrich the work of musicians working in the Episcopal Church, available in print and digital formats and distributed to 950+ members plus institutions, bishops, and deans.
• Annual Conference An annual multi-day gathering of church musicians featuring liturgies, workshops, concerts, exhibits, networking, and continuing education, rotating across U.S. and U.K. locations with the 60th edition in Atlanta (June 7-11, 2026) and the 61st planned for England in 2027.
• Placement Service A career placement service that publishes vacancy notices for musicians and churches, including job listings (one-month $100 or three-month $200), interim availability lists, and resources for both employers and job-seeking musicians.
• AAM Endowment Grants A grant program funded by the AAM Endowment providing financial assistance for projects supporting AAM's mission, with grants typically ranging from $500 to $2,000 and application deadlines of February 1 and September 1.
• James Litton Grant for Choral Training An annual $3,500 professional development grant for AAM members to develop choir training skills, build chorister programs for young singers, or pursue endeavors creating excellent choral experiences within the Episcopal Church, with applications due May 1.
• Raymond Glover Grant for Episcopal Liturgical Music An annual $3,500 professional development grant for AAM members to develop skills in music and its integral connection to liturgies envisioned by the Book of Common Prayer, with applications due November 1.
• Brittenback-Meezan Presidential Award An annual $3,000 grant ($4,000 with $1,000 additional parish commitment) for small- and mid-sized Episcopal congregations to support musician continuing education and demonstrate the value of continuing education for enlivening worship through music, with two awards granted in 2026.
• Gerre Hancock Internship A ten-month paid internship offering a young church musician mentorship within one of the Episcopal Church's great music programs, jointly funded by AAM ($20,000 salary grant plus $7,500 for benefits/housing) and the host institution, with the 2026-2027 intern Sarah Palmer hosted by Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX.
• Association of Anglican Musicians Series (Music Publication) Music publication partnerships through the AAM Series with ECS Publishing Group (for choral and organ music, including E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy, MorningStar) and Church Publishing Incorporated's RiteSong (for hymnody and congregational service music), with submissions reviewed bi-annually by the Music Publication Committee.
• Membership Program A tiered membership program including Regular ($130/year), Retired ($65/year), Student ($0, underwritten by Delbert Disselhorst Trust), Affiliate ($130/year), and Lifetime options ($1,625-$3,250), providing conference discounts, Journal subscription, Placement Service access, continuing education grants, and member discussion boards.
• Conference Livestreams Live-streamed liturgies allowing remote participation in the annual conference, with the 2026 Atlanta Conference offering three live-streamed events including Choral Evensong (Sunday), Opening Eucharist (Monday), and Closing Eucharist (Thursday).
• Compensation Survey Report An annual compensation survey report providing data on Episcopal musician compensation, with the 2025 report prepared by Erica Dollhopf, Ph.D. and including filterable data by employment status.
• Lay Professional Advocacy A committee advocating for lay employees at General Convention, tracking resolutions affecting lay employees, and providing resources for AAM members to advocate for themselves, with the Executive Director serving on the Church Pension Group Client Council through May 2028.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ECS Publishing GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECS Publishing Group is the corporate parent of E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy, and MorningStar. AAM partners to feature new choral and organ music for the Church in the Association of Anglican Musicians Series. The Music Publication Committee reviews submissions bi-annually. Composers submit through ECS website for consideration.
• Church Publishing Incorporated (RiteSong)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeadquartered in New York City with religious publishing heritage dating back to 1918, Church Publishing Incorporated is an official publisher for The Episcopal Church. AAM Series through RiteSong features new hymnody and congregational service music for the church.
• Episcopal ChantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpiscopal Chant, founded in 2024 by Arlie Coles and AAM member Richard Pryor III, expanded to host Bruce Ford's out-of-print Gradual Psalms for the Revised Common Lectionary on behalf of AAM. Database includes pointed Epistles and Gospels for Book of Common Prayer and Book of Occasional Services.
• Church Pension GroupminorOthersAAM Executive Director Patrick Fennig serves on CPG's Client Council through May 2028. CPG provides retirement, health, and related benefits for Episcopal clergy and lay employees. AAM brings member concerns to the group.
• ZeffyminorOthersFree fundraising platform for nonprofits that processes membership dues, conference registration, and donation payments. Zeffy covers all transaction fees so full payment goes to AAM.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Choristers Guild: Interdenominational organization focused on children's and youth choral music ministry, providing training, resources, and an annual institute. Overlaps with AAM's James Litton Grant focus on chorister programs.

Direct peers

• Hymn Society of the United States and Canada: Interfaith scholarly society dedicated to hymnody and congregational song; publishes a journal, holds annual conferences, and overlaps with AAM's liturgical publishing interests.
• National Association of Pastoral Musicians: Catholic counterpart professional association for pastoral musicians, offering similar member services (conventions, journal, certification, advocacy) within a different denominational tradition. Closest structural analog to AAM.
• Royal School of Church Music: UK-based Anglican/ecumenical organization supporting church music with membership, training programs, awards, and resources. Closest international analog serving the same Anglican tradition.
• Association of Lutheran Church Musicians: Denominational professional association for Lutheran church musicians. Operates the same membership/conference/journal model as AAM and is referenced in AAM's conference materials as a related organization.
• Presbyterian Association of Musicians: Professional body for Presbyterian church musicians; runs annual conferences, member publications, and continuing education programs analogous to AAM's offerings.
• American Guild of Organists: The largest US professional association for organists and choral musicians, with comparable membership dues, chapter structure, conventions, certification programs, and a quarterly journal. Strongest direct peer to AAM by mission and operating model.

Others

• Church Publishing Incorporated: Official publisher for The Episcopal Church and an AAM strategic partner for the RiteSong platform. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant in Anglican liturgical content distribution.
• ECS Publishing Group: Corporate parent of E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy, and MorningStar music publishers and AAM's music publishing partner for the AAM Series. Adjacent participant rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• American Choral Directors Association: Large US professional association for choral directors across all genres, with conferences, journal, and division structure. AAM members frequently overlap with ACDA, but ACDA is broader and secular in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/anglicanmusicians
• Instagraminstagram.com/anglicanmusicians/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-anglican-musicians

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association of Anglican Musicians