The National Music Museum (NMM) in Vermillion, South Dakota, will be featured on the nationally broadcast television program “World’s Greatest!…”, a series that highlights outstanding organizations, destinations, and innovations from around the world.
The segment showcasing the NMM will air on Bloomberg Television on Saturday, March 28, 2026, and again on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time for both cable and satellite viewers. Following the airing, the segment will be available on the National Music Museum’s website at www.NMMusd.org.
Produced by “World’s Greatest!…”, the program goes behind the scenes to feature remarkable businesses, technologies, organizations, and destinations—from emerging innovators to well-known global brands. For more than 20 years, the show’s researchers and producers have evaluated thousands of candidates annually to determine which organizations truly stand out within their industries.
Founded in 1973, the National Music Museum is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading collections of musical instruments. The museum preserves more than 14,000 instruments spanning centuries of music history—from Renaissance masterpieces to iconic 20th-century American guitars—and is commonly ranked among the top four musical instrument museums worldwide for both the size and historical significance of its collection.
Highlights of the collection include five instruments by Andrea Amati of Cremona, Italy, including the famed “King” violin made for the court of Charles IX of France; four instruments crafted by Antonio Stradivari; and instruments associated with legendary performers such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Bob Dylan, and Lionel Hampton. The museum’s renowned keyboard holdings include the mid-1500s Neapolitan harpsichord—believed to be the oldest playable harpsichord—and the Antunes grand piano of 1767, one of the earliest surviving pianos.
A key factor in the museum’s selection for the program is its long-standing educational mission. For more than 50 years, the NMM’s partnership with the University of South Dakota has supported teaching, scholarship, and hands-on learning through the study of historic musical instruments. The museum works closely with USD to offer one of the only Master of Music degree specializing in the history of musical instruments, preparing graduates who now hold positions at leading institutions worldwide, including the Royal Academy of Music in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The NMM also completed a major expansion and gallery renovation in 2023, creating a dynamic visitor experience that explores the many ways music shapes cultures and communities. In addition to its public exhibitions, the museum’s Center for Preservation and Research supports international scholars, instrument makers, and musicians through specialized research opportunities and hands-on workshops.
Organizations featured on “World’s Greatest!…” are selected through an extensive vetting process that evaluates innovation, culture, reputation, and the strength of an organization’s story. Candidates are compared against peers within their industry and must demonstrate excellence, enthusiasm, and a record of meaningful impact.
The National Music Museum’s appearance on the program highlights its global reputation as a center for musical heritage, scholarship, and public engagement.
For more information about the National Music Museum, visit www.nmmusd.org.
About the National Music Museum
The National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion preserves and interprets one of the world’s most significant collections of musical instruments, offering exhibitions, concerts, research opportunities, and educational programs that explore the history and cultural importance of music. www.nmmusd.org
