According to the IHS Bylaws, the Advisory Council (AC) is "responsible for carrying out the aims and purposes of the Society and for determining Society policy." It has "ultimate and final charge in management of Society affairs." Most of the members (nine of fifteen) of the AC are nominated and elected by the members of the IHS and, therefore, represent their interests.

The AC determines (through discussion and vote) the policies and budget allocations for IHS programs such as the Composition Contest, the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Program, the large IHS commissions, scholarships, workshops, archives, and honorary memberships and other awards. AC members work in sub-committees, prepare for the annual meetings by studying the agenda book, and attend the annual meetings, which start immediately before the annual workshop and continue throughout the entire week.

AC members also nominate and vote for the rest of the AC members not elected by the IHS members (six of fifteen), the AC officers, and any vacancies in unexpired terms. Lastly, AC members must respond to queries, calls for action, and votes throughout the year between workshops.

2018-19 Advisory Council members are:

Annie Bosler, (Secretary-Treasurer), University of California, Irvine
Nobuaki Fukukawa, NHK Symphony, Tokyo
Patrick Hughes, University of Texas Austin
Louis-Philippe Marsolais, University of Montreal, Pentaèdre Wind Quintet - Montreal, Canada
Kristina Mascher, (Vice-President) American Horn Quartet
Susan McCullough, University of Denver
Andrew Pelletier, (President) Bowling Green State University
Justin Sharp, Essen, Germany
Jeff Snedeker, Central Washington University
Michelle Stebleton, Florida State University
Radegundis Tavares, Federal University of Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil
Amy Thakurdas, Secretary of the British Horn Society and musical director of the Oxford Horn Choir
Lydia Van Dreel, University of Oregon
William VerMeulen, Houston Symphony, Rice University
Geoffrey Winter, Beethoven Orchestra, Bonn

All current and former members of the IHS Advisory Council.