A US$250m museum dedicated to musical instruments has opened in Phoenix, Arizona, US.

The 190,000sq ft Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) boasts more than 12,000 instruments over two floors of galleries. The museum also features a classroom, a garden courtyard, a 299-seat performance hall, a recording studio, a restaurant, a cafe and a store.

The instruments in MIM’s collection were selected for "fine construction, the reputation of their makers, special provenance, or connections to famous performers".  

“Building this collection isn’t just a curatorial mission, it’s an adventure,” said MIM president and director Bill DeWalt. “Our curatorial team has literally searched the world to collect diverse instruments that will spark the imagination of our guests, demonstrating the breadth of our musical heritage.”

The museum will be split into five geo-galleries - Africa & Middle East, Asia & Oceania, Latin American & Caribbean, Europe and North America - and an artist gallery, highlights of which will include the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine" and one of Paul Simon's guitars.

The museum was designed by Richard Varda and the Minneapolis and Phoenix firm RSP Architects.