National Music Museum

"Nestled in the heart of the Great Plains, Vermillion, South Dakota, a town of just over 12,000 people, is home to a hidden gem that’s striking a chord with visitors from around the globe." An amazing thanks to KELOLAND News, Keloland Living Ashley Thompson, Mitchell Olson for coming to explore the world of musical instruments and sharing their time with us! Always wondered just what the heck the NMM is? Or what it does? Or why it's here? Take a peak at this lovely little feature to learn more today! "You can uncover the melodies of the past and celebrate the symphony of human creativity, right here in Vermillion, South Dakota." See the segment here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gf2TGXgk #NMMusd #NationalMusicMuseum #NMM #LOVermillion #YoteLife #HiFromSD #WeAreSouthDakota #SouthDakota #SoDak #SoDakLife #VermillionSD #YoteLife #usouthdakota #travelsouthdakota #smithsonianaffiliate

High Strung : Five centuries of stringed keyboard instruments - - - Witness a striking evolution, on view now in the Jason & Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery. Tuesdays - Saturdays, 10am - 4pm. Explore the world of musical instruments. Plan your visit today 👉 https://lnkd.in/gjCU3wfE #NMMusd #NewNMM #HighStrung #GrovesGallery #YoteLife #LOVermillion #HiFromSD

We're into the final stretch of our 50th year, and we're getting geared up to go out in style. Starting today, we're unveiling some delightful new collections content. Written by our curator Ana Sofia Silva, we're happy to release "Digging the Fifties," a special article and blog series dedicated to exploring some lesser seen objects from the NMM archives while celebration 50 years of musical magic. DIGGING THE FIFTIES: A CURATORIAL PERSPECTIVE ON 50 OBJECTS FROM THE NMM COLLECTIONS By Ana Sofia Silva, Curator The special exhibition “As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years (1973–2023)” is showcasing part of the history of the National Music Museum (NMM) through a small selection of treasured musical instruments, highlighting important timeline periods of its collecting process in the past 50 years. However, the NMM collections are vast and comprehensive, and with this special occasion, the author saw the opportunity to write about some objects that are not so widely known. Therefore, in addition to the special treasures being celebrated, 50 objects from the musical instrument collection were chosen to be featured in this article. As an adequate (and “fair”) requisite, the objects were selected within the group of catalog numbers ending in 50. The selected objects were chosen for their interesting stories, whether these relate to particulars of the instruments themselves, like unusual shapes and mechanisms, or to the people connected to their making, provenance, or collection. The article itself was not meant to be an exhaustive essay about each instrument, but merely a brief presentation or a “curatorial perspective” on what the author thinks makes each one of these objects special in the collections of the NMM. After all, collections are fundamental for documenting and preserving history, and at the NMM, objects can tell many different stories of music, culture, and people. Read more, view the article, or subscribe to updates on our blog, NMM Notes https://lnkd.in/grz-fXZm #NMMusd #AsGoodAsGold #50Years #50thanniversary #Organology #MuseumCollections #MusicalInstruments

Some things are simply iconic 🎻 The 'Harrison' violin is a Long Pattern Stradivari in a particularly pure state of preservation. Known as and named for Richard Harrison, a distinguished English lawyer and excellent amateur violinist who owned the instrument in the 19th century, it is one of few Stradivari instruments that survives relatively unworn and with its original neck, slightly lengthened, reshaped, and re-angled in the early 19th century. The 1690s mark a period when Stradivari was experimenting in a radical fashion with the form of the violin, and the Long Pattern is so-named because such violins have body lengths about a centimeter longer than standard. Come see 'Harrison', icon of a legend of luthiers, in "As Good As Gold: Our First 50 Years," on view now in the Jaston & Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery 👉 https://lnkd.in/gFPmdwGF 📸 The back of the 'Harrison' violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, Itay, 1693. NMM 03598. Rawlins Fund, 1985. #NMMusd #asgoodasgold #violinist #violin #stradivarius #stradivari #strings #stringsection #MusicHistory #baroquemusic #cremona #luthier

We're back - experience the world of musical instruments like you've never seen it before The entire first floor of the NMM is now open. Featuring seven all-new galleries showcasing our permanent exhibitions, rebuilt and reimagined in the historic Carnegie Library building. Come see, come hear, come learn, come laugh, come wonder, come dive in to music! Tuesdays - Fridays | 10-4 Saturdays | 12-4 Learn more and plan your visit today 👉 https://nmmusd.org #NMMusd #NewNMM #LOVermillion #SouthDakota #hifromsd #WeAreSouthDakota #YoteLife

What's in a name? 👑 The Amati 'King' cello is one of our most treasured—and storied—objects. Originally built in the mid-16th century by the master craftsman Andrea Amati, and later decorated with the coat-of-arms of young King Charles IX (1550-1574), it lived within the halls of the French monarchy until the Revolution. In the 19th century, the instrument was heavily altered—reducing its size and forever removing elements of the regal paintwork—to become the cello we largely see today. Fast forward centuries, and the King became the 'crown jewel' of the celebrated Witten-Rawlins Collection of early Italian stringed instruments—the very same collection that now calls the NMM home. Come see King, witness and evident to four centuries of cultural, political, and musical history, in "As Good As Gold: Our First 50 Years," on view now in the Jaston & Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery 👉 https://lnkd.in/g8pAR-WX 📸 The painted back and sides of the Amati 'King' cello by Andrea Amati, ca. 1650, Cremona, Italy. NMM 03351. #NMMusd #asgoodasgold #cello #violincello #amati #andreaamati #strings #stringsection #france #frenchcourt #frenchrevolution #royalty #Rex #musichistory #baroquemusic

The start of the Fall semester usually means good news for local music lovers here in Vermillion, South Dakota - as our NMM Live! concert series is about to kick into full swing. But we're excited to announce that this excitement is no longer exclusive to living in the Vermillion area! Starting today, the NMM will be live-streaming all NMM Live! concerts, as well as other select events, free of charge on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/gWw7tT5Q To all music fans around the globe - stop in for a listen if you can, let your friends know, and help us explore, enjoy, and preserve the world of musical instruments for as many people as we can reach, wherever they may be. #NMMusd #NewNMM #MuseumsAreForEveryone #FreeMusic #LiveMusic #LiveStreaming

Today marks the first day of regular open hours for our all new first-floor galleries! From here on, we will be open every Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, and on Saturdays from 12pm to 4pm. Be sure to check our website for current info on visiting, including new admission fees, parking, visitor maps, and more 👉 https://nmmusd.org Come on in and explore the world of musical instruments! #NMMusd #NewNMM #newhours #WeAreOpen

More coming soon! We couldn’t have done this without our partners!

This may be the most hectic, most important next seven days in the history of the National Music Museum 😌 We are grinding down the very final touches on our first floor galleries, getting ready to reopen — yes, finally reopen! — our permanent exhibitions. What's on the schedule? Glad you asked - August 26th - join us for a glorious day of fun at the Ribbon Cutting and Community Celebration, marking the official public unveiling of our new permanent exhibitions. 1-4PM, free admission, great music, refreshments, and music history out the wazoo. August 30th - our doors will opening at 10AM for the first day of our new regular hours! Find information about upcoming events, opening hours, new admission fees, tour group info, and more, on our website! 👉 https://nmmusd.org In the meantime, stay tuned and bear with us while we get everything ready 😎 #NMMusd #NewNMM #LOVermillion #MusicMuseum #Organology #NewExhibits #newbeginnings #Reopening #Museums #Finally