BARBARA OWEN 1933-2024
Barbara Jane Owen, 91, the doyenne of American organ historians, died peacefully on 14 October 2024 following a brief decline caused by a broken hip. She had an illustrious career spanning nearly seven decades as a church organist, organ builder, historian, consultant, author and music editor. In 1994, she received the American Musical Instrument Society’s prestigious Curt Sachs Award.
Born on 25 January 1933 in Utica, New York, to Welsh immigrants, David and Vera Owen, she was the oldest of three daughters. In her early school years, the family moved to New Haven, Connecticut, and attended Plymouth Congregational Church. Singing in the youth choir, she was influenced by the church’s joint music directors, William and Priscilla Mague. Both were graduates of Westminster Choir College, as was their…
