In 2012, a Chilean art worker named Nico Trompe embarked on a worldwide odyssey.

Behind all the music, there was a very real mission: finding the people who made and played one of humanity's most fascinating musical instruments, the mouth harp.
Nico visited workshops, villages and communities, meeting instrument makers and musicians from all around the world, collecting mouth harps directly from their creators and documenting how they were made and played.
Without ever planning to become a collector, he had become one. And so, almost accidentally, the Museo del Trompe (the Mouth Harp Museum) was born.

The collection's uniqueness lies not in its size, but in its human connections. Many instruments were personally gathered from their makers, accompanied by audiovisual documentation of their craftsmanship and traditions. The exhibition brings together 165 mouth harps from 19 countries.

In 2021, the museum moved to Kreuzberg, Berlin, where its third incarnation, The Mouth Harp Museum, was designed as a fully transportable exhibition. Over the following years, it became a meeting place for musicians, artists and curious visitors, hosting performances, guided tours and collaborations. After years of adventures, discoveries and unexpected encounters, Nico Trompe is preparing to bring the Museo del Trompe back to Chile.

Join us at DUYU for the museum's final stop in Berlin before it returns to Chile. An evening to discover the history of the mouth harp, explore the museum's collection, hear this unique and rich selection of instruments in person, and finish with a collective jam session.