Special thanks to The Lute Society’s page for online lute resources that listed many of these sites and societies. The links can be selected by country/region from the map with descriptions available down below:
Located within North & South America
The Lute Society of America (LSA)
The Lute Society of America, founded in 1966, is devoted to the lute and its music. Membership is open to anyone, anywhere – scholars and listeners as well as amateur or professional players.
Guild of American Luthiers
The Guild of American Luthiers is a nonprofit educational membership organization whose purpose is to facilitate learning about lutherie: the art, craft, and science of stringed musical instrument building and repair. Since 1972, we’ve been the foremost source of information for makers, repairers, and restorers of all kinds of string instruments. Guild membership and publications are open to all.
Argentine Association of Lutes and Antique Guitars / Asociación Argentina de Laúdes y Guitarras Antiguas
This association has been formed from the meeting of a nucleus of musicians who for more than 10 years have been cultivating the delights of these instruments, and it is proposed, with all love, to bring the public and people interested in investigating this issue.
Located within the European Region
The Lute Society
The Lute Society, now over 60 years old, exists to promote the lute and its music. Members get a new member’s pack of 100 pages of lute music, a quarterly magazine, Lute News, with music supplement, an annual journal, The Lute, discounts on our growing range of publications and other benefits.
The French Lute Society / Société Française de Luth (SFL)
The Société Française de Luth brings together lute players, music lovers, luthiers, teachers, amateurs, professionals … interest in this instrument which is 4 or 5 centuries old, but whose rich repertoire and bewitching sound continue to charm hundreds, even thousands of people across France, Europe and the world!
German Lute Society / Deutsche Lautengesellschaft
The Deutsche Lautengesellschaft (DLG) promotes both research and the performance of lute music, to bring about increased familiarity with the instrument. The activities of the DLG are aimed to appeal equally to interested amateurs, professionals, and music-loving members of the public, including an international context.
The Austrian Lute Society / Österreichische Lautengesellschaft
An international interest group of active lutenists, scientists, those involved in historical lute making and anyone interested in lute playing.
The Belgian Lute Academy
The Belgian Lute Academy is an association formed to promote contacts between people interested in lute activities taking place in Belgium.
The Lute Society of Ireland
The Facebook group for the Lute Society of Ireland.
The Dutch Lute Society / Nederlandse Luitvereniging (NLV)
The Dutch Lute Society is open for everyone, amateur or professional, who plays the lute or is interested in lute music. Our aim is to provide you with information on every aspect of lutes and lute music. We do this not only by means of our website, but also through the digital newsletter for our members and the magazine De Tabulatuur.
The Italian Lute Society / Società del Liuto
The Italian Lute Society, founded in 2010, is a cultural association whose purpose is the dissemination and promotion of ancient music and, in particular, music for lute and related instruments. The Society is open to anyone who wishes to become a member.
Scottish Lute and Early Guitar Society (SLEGS)
The Society exists principally to bring Scottish-based lute and early guitar players together to play to and with each other. All standards from complete beginner to professional will be encouraged to take part. This is a ‘safe place’ to try out that new piece you have been working on, ask questions, share info, etc.
Guitar & Lute Association / l’Association Guitare & Luth
Founded in 1991, the Guitar & Lute Association is dedicated to the promotion of ancient instruments and early music in the canton of Friborg and the Romandie region. According to the wishes of its President and founder, the Friborg luthier Philippe Mottet (known as Anselmus), it focuses its activities on three areas of work:
– Promotion and knowledge of early music , in particular through the organization of concerts
– Initiation into the lutherie of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque instruments
– The constitution of an instrumentarium of copies of old instruments
Swedish Guitar and Lute Society / Svenska Gitarr och Luta Sallskapet (SGLS)
he Swedish Guitar and Lute Society (SGLS) was formed in 1968 on the initiative of Jörgen Rörby. Since its inception, the association has operated as a nationwide non-profit organization with extensive contacts throughout the Nordic region. The society wants to provide support for guitar and lute music at all levels, from amateurs and music listeners to educators and professional musicians. Everyone is welcome as a member.
Romanian Lute Society
“Looting for Truth” – a blog to promote the lute in Romania.
Lute in Croatia
“Omnia praeclara rara – Everything that is precious is rarely
Welcome to the world of lute. I play and explore the lute instrument. I provide you with my translations of musicological articles about the lute, several articles I have had translated, and my own articles in various thematic sections and further addresses on the Internet. As the great German lute player Esaias Reusner says in the preface to his 1647 publication Erfreuliche Lautenlust: Omne bonum est communicativum sui – Every good should be shared with others, let it be your guiding thread. – Antun Mrzlecki”
Vihuela Society / Sociedad de Vihuela (SVLG)
The Vihuela, Lute and Guitar Society is a national cultural association. Since its creation on September 25, 2004, it has been registered in the National Registry of Associations (number 584,715). The main objective is to spread and promote the historical plucked string instruments, in all their aspects. The main instruments: the vihuela, lute, theorbo, renaissance, baroque and romantic classical guitar.
Located within the Asia Pacific Region
The Lute Society of Japan (LSJ) / 日本リュート協会
For the dissemination and promotion of lute and its music, and information exchange and friendship both domestically and internationally.
The Lute & Early Guitar Society Japan
The LGS is a lute and early guitar society with members in Japan and abroad. The LGS organises concerts and workshops in Japan. It imports instruments and gut strings for its Japanese members and publishes cds and music for all.
Lute Society of New Zealand (LSNZ)
The Lute Society of New Zealand was founded in Wellington to promote the music of the lute in Australasia.
If you know of a lute society that is not listed here you can let me know at ilovelutes at gmail.com.