TULSA SYMPHONY’S WORLD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION

Tulsa Symphony headquarters are housed at the Fly Loft building in the heart of Tulsa Arts District. Its office is home to the World Instrument Collection, an eclectic exhibit generously donated by Richard Feldman and the Estate of Raymond and Nancy Feldman.

Nancy and Raymond Feldman were Tulsa attorneys who were married for 67 years. Throughout their marriage, they traveled often, typically for four months at a time. Anthropologists at heart, they trekked the Himalayas, lived with natives in Papua New Guinea and tribesmen in Vietnam, and biked their way through various regions of North Africa and Europe. Referred to as “the outdoor-ables” by their then-young granddaughter, Haley, they loved to say they slept outdoors more nights in a year than indoors.  As Nancy commented on their style of travel, “a village with four star accommodations was one where there was a designated outhouse.”

Their Tulsa home was well known for the souvenirs, ranging from high art to high kitsch, they collected on their travels. While these trips formed a deeply personal aspect of the Feldmans’ search for education and awareness, they also generated benefits for Tulsa. Nancy, for example, co-founded the Tulsa Global Alliance, an organization dedicated to connecting Tulsa to the world.

Tulsa Symphony’s World Instrument Collection includes rare and historic instruments collected by the Feldmans and displayed in their home for many years. Tulsa Symphony is proud and honored to provide a venue where visitors to the Tulsa Arts District and music lovers can explore them.

We deeply appreciate the Estate and invite you to enjoy viewing these diverse musical curiosities as much as Ray and Nancy enjoyed collecting them. Come by our office any time during business hours to take a look.