From Arizona to Australia

The world’s ‘first global musical instrument museum’

Music is the oldest language on Earth and one we all instinctively recognise, regardless of nationality or age; but do we really realise what an important role music has played, and still plays, in forming our history, culture, and society?

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, sets out to answer this and many other questions surrounding how and why we make music. The centre describes itself as ‘the world’s first global musical instrument museum’ with an impressive array of instruments from nearly 250 countries and territories. State-of-the-art, integrated audio and video experiences enable audiences to appreciate the sounds of these instruments, as well as to see them played in their cultural context.         

The building, a 190,000-square-foot structure located on a 20-acre campus, was designed by award-winning architect Rich Varda, along with RSP Architects. The architecture evokes the topography of the American Southwest with a richly textured Indian limestone façade. Interior galleries are linked by an undulating central corridor known as ‘El Rio’.

Stage Technologies Las Vegas installed an automation system in the museum’s 299-seat Music Theater. The team worked closely with general contractors Ryan Construction and consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, together optimizing the structural support steel used in the venue’s construction, which provided considerable savings on the client’s cost. Mark Beal, project manager for the venue, was more than satisfied with the results of this close collaboration: ‘Stage Technologies came very highly recommended from our consultant team, and they have proven to be experts in the field of theatrical rigging systems. They have been very proactive in terms of finding the best methods to achieve the desired level of performance at the Music Theater.’

The automation system comprises BT250 Lite compact, multi-line packaged hoists and sliding acoustic panels, along with a Maxis control rack and a mobile, handheld controller. The winches are used for raising and lowering house and stage light battens and the 16 acoustic panels can be moved to adjust the acoustic dynamics of the auditorium - vital for a venue that doesn’t just stage concerts but is intrinsically all about the essence of music. The Music Theater is the heart of the museum, where a varied concert programme has begun to celebrate the richness and energy of music through live performances of traditional, contemporary, instrumental, and vocal compositions sourced from Arizona all the way to Australia.

Diversity is a keyword at the museum, not just in the range of countries from which it has gathered exhibits, but in the nature of the exhibits themselves. There are a staggering 12,000 instruments in the collection at present, a number which is expected to grow steadily; approximately 3,000 were on display at the museum’s recent opening on April 24th, ranging from the modern (the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed “Imagine”) to the antique (a Japanese hanging drum from the Edo Period).

The museum will also be a centre for scholarship and research and thanks to modest entrance fees aimed at encouraging school visits, approximately 250,000–500,000 guests per year are expected. There is a great deal of excitement in the air about the centre and one thing’s for sure: if you love music, you’ll love the Musical Instrument Museum.

More information: Case study

Image: the Music Theater © MIM, photo credit: MIM / Holly Metz