The organ of the Philharmonie Haarlem, built in 1871 by the renowned French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, is a historic pipe organ originally intended for the Palais de l’Industrie in Paris. Instead, it was installed in 1875 in the Paleis voor Volksvlijt in Amsterdam, where it served as a concert organ and was played by leading organists such as Alexandre Guilmant and Camille Saint-Saëns. The organ fell into disuse following the opening of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the declining popularity of the Paleis voor Volksvlijt.

Thanks to the efforts of Haarlem’s city organist Louis Robert, the instrument was relocated in 1922 to the Great Hall of the Concertgebouw in Haarlem, later known as the Philharmonie. After several restorations and modifications — most notably the 2005 restoration by Flentrop — the organ was returned to its original state. Since then, it has been used regularly for concerts and plays a prominent role in the biennial International Organ Festival Haarlem.