Sheldon's "Visions of Sound" exhibit to feature musical instrument collection

The Sheldon Art Galleries have announced that a new exhibit, "Visions of Sound: Masterpieces from the Hartenberger World Music Collection," will open on Friday, February 20 in the hall's Bellwether Gallery and History of Jazz Gallery.

The exhibit will feature musical instruments from the collection of St. Louis music educator Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger, which includes more than 2,000 instruments from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia. For the "Visions of Sound" exhibit, the Bellwether Gallery will display a wide variety of instruments from all over the globe, including a late 17th - early 18th-century Italian mandolin; a Burmese saùng-gauk (arched harp); a Maori putorino (bugle flute); a pre-Columbian priest whistle from 600-900 A.D.; and serpent instruments from 18th and 19th-century Europe.

Meanwhile, the History of Jazz Gallery will present a collection of historical and modern instruments that trace the history of jazz from its roots in Africa to the present day. One room will feature African drums, bells and rattles, as well as gongs, harps, flutes, lutes and mbira (thumb pianos) from different regions. The other two rooms will focus on modern jazz instruments, including some once owned by notable national and local musicians such as Clark Terry, Oliver Lake, Artie Shaw, Eddie Daniels, Hamiet Bluiett, Jeremy Davenport and Red Lehr. The jazz rooms also will feature some unusual 20th-century instruments created for jazz, such as the jazzophone (pictured), the saxotrumpet, and the slide sax.

"Visions of Sound" opens with a reception in the galleries from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 20, and continues through May 9. Admission is free. Gallery hours are noon to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday; noon to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday; and one hour prior to Sheldon performances and during intermission.

(Edited 1/17/09 to fix a typo.)