20 May 2010 - Online Wall Street Journal  

The Wall Street Journal article contains a slide show of photos taken inside the museum.

Here is a link to a Facebook page for the MIM

Worlds First Global Musical Instrument Museum website  here in Phoenix, Arizona

There are musical exhibits & musical instruments from every country in the world.  Here are a few photos I took:.



The above photo is the entrance to the 190,000 square foot (17 651.6 square meters) structure

The next photo will show the piano John Lennon used when he composed "IMAGINE"


Can you envision Sanne playing this pink Saxaphone?


Here is a photo of the most expensive exhibit in the museun, the Steinway piano built in his kitchen



Yes, Andre, there are exhibits including videos showing the construction process of Violins.

Yes, Nadia (Viola), there is an exhibit showing musicial instruments from Bulgaria, as well all other countries around the world.

I thought of you Frank (Violin) when I was standing in front of Netherlands exhibit watching & listening to 2 young people play a Carillon & figure you will probably recognize them.

I thought of Carla & Carmen  (Soprano Soloists) as I was standing in front of Brazil exhibit watching & listening to musical instruments being played.  Everyone is looking forward to seein & hearing you Carmen, here in Phoenix on 29 Nov 2010.  Carla, you will be sorely missed, perhaps next year.

I thought of you Carla, as I arrived at the exhibit & video showing the making of C J Martin Guitars.  In fact, C J Martin is one of the founding fathers of the Museum.  I'm wondering if you have a C J Martin guitar, which is made right here in the U.S.A  (Nazarath, Pennsylvania).  I'll bet you didn't know you were so close to the Company headquarters when you were performing in Wilkes Barre, PA.

I thought of you Stephanie, as I stood at the Steinway & Sons Piano exibit & video showing the making of their Pianos, which are made right here in the U.S.A (Long Island City, New York). 

Each person is loaned a state of the art wireless headseat so that you can actually hear the musical instrument playing that you are standing in front of.  Hundreds of people can all be listening to music & the only music you hear, is the high fidelity sound in your headset of the musical instrument you are standing in front of.

I visualized Stephanie playing Franz Liszt's 14th Hungarian Rapsody, something I hope we will all see on an Andre Rieu DVD one of these days.

The Experience Gallery is a hands-on opportunity for you to play many of the types of instruments they have seen elsewhere in the museum.

The Mechanical Music Gallery features instruments designed to play on their own

The Geo-Galleries present instruments by region of the world & include audio & video of those instruments being played in their cultural context.

300 Seat, state of the art auditorium for concerts.

MIM Coffee Shop & Cafe

I wonder if Andre & the JSO know about this museum?

Andre has a concert in Mexico City on 27 Nov & then is scheduled for 29 Nov 2010 here in Arizona. 

I wonder IF Andre & the JSO will decide to come to Arizona on the 28th so they can visit the museum?

Everyone planning to attend the concert here in Phoenix Arizona on 29 November 2010 also needs to plan to join the group for a trip to the Musical Instrument Museum


Bill in Arizona
Official Andre Rieu Ambassador