Sanza: African Thumb Pianos from the Collections of F. and F. Boulanger-Bouhière and MIM

Entering its final days on view at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona is Sanza: African Thumb Pianos from the Collections of F. and F. Boulanger-Bouhière and MIM. The exhibition showcases two hundred sanzas—thumb pianos (lamellophones or lamellaphones)—from a private Belgian collection, several pieces from MIM’s own collection, and others on loan from the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium. Made with various combinations of vegetable fiber, wood, and metal, the instruments are played by storytellers, historians, and ritual leaders.

Visit the exhibition's official website.

Information and images courtesy of the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix