The New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrates jazz in the city where it was born.
Through dynamic interactive exhibits, multigenerational educational programming, research facilities and engaging musical performances, the music New Orleans made famous is explored in all its forms.
Housed in the historic Old U.S. Mint, strategically located at the intersection of the French Quarter and the Frenchmen Street live music corridor, the New Orleans Jazz Museum is in the heart of the city’s vibrant music scene.
Through partnerships with local, national and international educational institutions, the New Orleans Jazz Museum promotes the global understanding of jazz as one of the most innovative, historically pivotal musical art forms in world history.
365+
Musical Acts Annually
The music New Orleans made famous, explored in all its forms.
25k+
MUSEUM ARTIFACTS
Our collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world.
15+
FESTIVALS ANNUALLY
Our fabulous grounds host a variety of festivals every year.
The Museum’s impressive array of live performance offerings have become a key attraction for students, visitors, and music lovers around the globe. In the past year, the Museum hosted over 500 programs, including its famous Tuesday Balcony sessions.
According to the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the New Orleans Jazz Museum experienced a 60% increase in visitation over the last four years making it the fastest-growing cultural institution in Louisiana. Our dedication to the history of jazz continues through our programming, mentoring initiatives, and community outreach alongside the cataloguing, preserving, and exhibiting of the 25,000+ artifacts in the Museum’s collection, one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of jazz artifacts, instruments, and memorabilia in the world.
Performance Center
The 3rd floor Performance Center of the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint incorporates production, recording and web broadcasting of live music and theatrical performances, lectures, symposia, oral histories, video interviews, and curatorial panels.
In 2025, thanks to the Herb Alpert Foundation, we had a complete renovation of our Performance Center. The new state-of-the-art venue was designed by architectural acoustics industry leader John Storyk of WSDG and is equipped with one of the nation’s premier sound systems and control rooms. From both a technical and cultural standpoint, the Performance Center complements the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s mission to celebrate the history of jazz, in all its forms, through dynamic interactive exhibits, multi-generational educational programming, research facilities and engaging musical performances.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum now links its ongoing collections audio digitization work-flow with that of the Performance Center, including the digitization of its internationally recognized Jazz Collection.
Education
The New Orleans Jazz Museum stands at the crossroads of education, culture, and community in the city where jazz was born. Through a robust portfolio of programs, partnerships, and international exchanges, the Museum fulfills its mission to preserve, present, and perpetuate jazz as both a living art form and an educational catalyst for future generations. The Museum’s educational philosophy bridges preservation and innovation, offering programming that spans from early childhood arts immersion to professional musician training. These initiatives engage learners of all ages, from toddlers to university students, and extend globally through digital resources and cultural exchanges.
Core Educational Programs and Learning Initiatives
Digital and Virtual Learning
Youth and Family Education
School and Student Engagement
Higher Education and Internships
Community and Cultural Events
Professional and Mentorship Development
International and Cross-Cultural Exchange
Innovation and Future Development
In keeping with our commitment to further the legacy of jazz through the development of the next generation of musicians, the Jazz Museum is partnering with organizations like the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), Second Line Arts, The Helis Foundation, and the Trombone Shorty Academy to identify and cultivate young talent through master classes and mentorship. The New Orleans Jazz Museum and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation have joined hands to support students and teachers in launching the New Orleans Jazz Museum Music Outreach Program. This program brings expert jazz instructors into schools to promote music education and allow students to enhance their individual abilities in a more intimate, focused setting with resources specifically dedicated to their success.
The Jazz Education Center and Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab
Our Jazz Education Center and Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab provide on-site resources to further the Jazz Museum’s commitment to fostering the next generation of artists and advocates, serving as hubs for in-person exploration of music and culture. These spaces are available to students, educators, and caregivers.
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