Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is highlighting 'Musical Bodies' with a virtual exhibition tour led by Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Ava Valentino, and Brett Renfer. The museum’s email invitation directs audiences to “watch now,” framing the program as an online exploration of the instrument exhibit rather than a live, in-person event.
Strauchen-Scherer is identified by the museum as curator in the Department of Musical Instruments, Valentino as a research assistant in the same department, and Renfer as senior project manager of emerging technologies. Their participation suggests a tour shaped by curatorial, research, and digital perspectives, consistent with the Met’s broader use of virtual programming to extend access to its collections and exhibitions.
The tour arrives as 'Musical Bodies' is in its final stretch at The Met Fifth Avenue. In the same newsletter, the exhibition is listed under “Last Chance” with a closing date of June 28, 2026. The Met’s email also groups it with other current and recently opened shows, including 'Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur', 'Orientalism: Between Fact and Fantasy', 'Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas', and 'Costume Art'.
The online tour points viewers back to the exhibition itself, which the museum’s newsletter describes as an exhibit of musical instruments. While the source material does not provide a fuller curatorial thesis or checklist for the show, the title 'Musical Bodies' and the department context indicate a focus on the relationship between instruments, performance, and the material forms through which music is made and experienced.
The Met’s email positions this feature within a larger communication about summer programming, exhibition highlights, and visitor information. Alongside the virtual tour, the newsletter directs readers to museum planning tools, membership information, and current updates for The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters, underscoring how the institution is using its digital channels to connect exhibition content with visit planning and audience outreach.
For viewers who cannot see the exhibition in person before it closes, the tour offers a documented way to encounter it through the voices of staff working directly with the collection and its presentation. 'Musical Bodies' is currently scheduled to run through June 28, 2026 at The Met Fifth Avenue.
