Invented by William Close
The Earth Harp’s strings run from the stage out over the audience to the architecture, so a concert hall, a festival field or a skyscraper becomes part of the instrument, and the crowd stands inside the music.
Miller Outdoor Theatre centennial, Houston, 2023
The idea
The resonating chambers sit on the stage. The strings travel up to 1,000 feet over the audience and attach to a balcony, a truss, a bridge, a mountain or the top of a tower. William plays them with violin rosin on his gloves, drawing out deep, symphonic tones that fill the whole space.
The Earth Harp Collective brings percussion, electric guitar, violin, voice and more of William’s own inventions. The show moves between classical beauty and the energy of rock and electronic music.
It’s like being in a giant cello.
The New York Times
Where it plays
01
An art installation by day and a concert by night. Strings run from a satellite stage, beside the main stage or from its own stage over the crowd. Played at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Burning Man, Lightning in a Bottle and ArtPrize.
Earth Harp at festivals02
The Sky Scraper Tour strings towers and landmarks around the world, from the record-setting Singapore skyscraper to a 700-foot tower in downtown Los Angeles. A free public concert where the whole city is inside the instrument.
Cities, landmarks and the Sky Scraper Tour03
In a concert hall the strings run from the stage to the balcony, and a typical install takes about three hours. From the Kennedy Center to corporate openings, holiday concerts and Royal Caribbean’s Sonic Odyssey.
Performing arts centers and events
Recent highlight
On September 18, the Earth Harp opened ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids. The strings ran about 250 feet across the Pearl Street Bridge over the Grand River, lit magenta above the crowd.
Thousands of people filled the bridge and stayed through the rain for a half-hour performance that ended in fireworks.
See it live
Skyscrapers, festival stages, concert halls and the mountain installation, in one reel.
Performed at
Booking
Tell us about your festival, city, venue or event. Matt Kendall at Concept Artists handles all Earth Harp bookings and will get back to you with options and pricing.
