The American Harp Society, Inc. (AHS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is "to promote and foster the appreciation of the harp as a musical instrument, to encourage the composition of music for the harp and to improve the quality of performance of harpists." Founded in 1962, the AHS is a member of the National Music Council and is the largest national organization of harpists in the world with more than 3,000 members and over 90 chapters throughout the United States and in Canada. The organization's members include people from all 50 states and 20 countries, and range from professional performers, harp therapists, college and university professors, adult amateurs, and students of all ages. The organization is currently led by President Ann Yeung.
Every two years the AHS holds a National Convention which features lectures, workshops, masterclasses, and performances by renowned harpists. The AHS frequently commissions new works for the harp for performance at these conventions. In the summers in between conventions, the AHS runs a Summer Institute for student harpists; utilizing a faculty made up of world-renowned harp performers and pedagogues. Held con-currently with the Summemar Institute is the AHS National Competition which awards monetary prizes in five divisions: Junior, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced, and Young Professional.
The AHS publishes The American Harp Journal bi-annually, a periodical dedicated to all things related to the harp. Articles in the journal include such topics as biographies of major past and present harpists, bibliographies, harp construction and maintenance, historical studies, listings and reviews of publications and recordings, educational content for students and teachers, and coverage of AHS news and events. The AHS also publishes the AHS Teachers Forum, an annual journal dedicated to harp predagogy. The AHS formerly published Unkle Knuckles’ Knews, a magazine for young harpists. The Library of Congress is home to the AHS Repository and the library at Brigham Young University is home to the International Harp Archives which contains the AHS Archives, AHS Audio & Video Tape Libraries and Interview Series.