About
An installation artist and musician who makes buildings and landscapes part of the instrument, and the musicians, singers, dancers and aerialists who bring it to life.
William Close
William Close has developed more than 150 new musical instruments, including the Earth Harp. He creates musical installations that use architecture as part of the instrument, so every space he plays becomes the instrument itself.
A New York native and an alumnus of the Art Institute of Chicago, William comes from a family of artists, architects and designers. He played in garage bands as a teenager and started building his own instruments in art school. Years as a sailor tuned his ear to natural sounds: wind in the sails, rigging flapping and pulled tight.
He is the founder and artistic director of the Earth Harp Collective.
Inventions
For over two decades, William has conceived, designed and built new instruments. He plays most of them himself, and often hands them to other musicians, who find new ways to make music with them. They appear in every Earth Harp Collective concert.
He has created new works for Royal Caribbean, the Super Bowl, Cirque du Soleil and America’s Got Talent. Among them: the Drum Architecture, the spinning Drumbrella, the Electro Bass Shield and the Aquatar.
The Collective
The Earth Harp Collective is a large extended family. There can be three or four Collective teams performing at once around the world.
Earth Harp & music supervisor
A multidisciplinary artist with the rare distinction of having the Earth Harp as her native instrument. Encouraged by William to “find the musician within,” she developed her own sound and technique. As music supervisor, her love of rock, classical and world music shapes the Collective’s catalog. She has performed for Google, America’s Got Talent and the Super Bowl.
Lead vocals
A deep, full voice shaped by a lifetime of travel, from the Alaskan bush to the Middle East. He has shared the stage with Zakir Hussain, Brandi Carlile, Babatunde Olatunji and Paul Winter, and teaches Finding Your Natural Voice sound-healing workshops around the world.
Electric & acoustic violin
A San Francisco Conservatory graduate who has played Carnegie Hall, Beijing’s Spring Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, sometimes from an aerial rig. Her collaborations include Beats Antique, Third Eye Blind, Macy Gray and the Magik*Magik Orchestra.
Guitar & production
A Danish-born, award-winning guitarist, producer and songwriter known for his soundscapes and effects work. He also plays William’s inventions, including the Aquatar.
Drums & electronic percussion
A jazz performance graduate of Sonoma State who plays melodies on tuned electronic pads. He met William in 2002 at an impromptu percussion jam on a park bench.
Multi-instrumentalist
A longtime collaborator who has produced and performed with Tiësto, M.I.A., Steel Pulse and Jason Mraz. He plays William’s Electro Bass Shield, a trigger-based instrument that provides the low end of the new Earth Harp sound.
Vocals
A visual artist, musician, actor and filmmaker with a four-octave range and perfect pitch, who has played Irving Plaza, the Fillmore and the Fonda Theatre.
Vocals & multi-instrumentalist
A stunning vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with the Collective.
Percussion
Part of the extended percussion team exploring William’s inventions. Also a film and television actor and a painter known for large-scale portraits.
Bass
Bass player and multi-instrumentalist with the Collective.
Dance & fire arts
With a background in dance, fire arts and visual arts, Eve has choreographed a series of fire and dance pieces to the Collective’s music.
Composer & producer
An English composer and producer who has worked with Shakira, Pulp and Tom Jones and scored BBC dramas including Death in Paradise. He is writing new compositions for the Earth Harp, and music for an orchestra of Earth Harps.
Booking agent
Matt is Senior Vice President of Concept Artists and handles all Earth Harp bookings. He started at ICM Artists, working with Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Wynton Marsalis and Ravi Shankar, then spent years producing private and corporate events for Microsoft, Google, Nike, Sony and many others.
