William Close and The Earth Harp Collective shining bright at the 2020 Glow Winter Festival in Calgary, Canada.
The 2020 Glow Winter Festival in Calgary stretched out over a four-block section of Stephen Ave and lasted for three days. Thousands of people partook in the third annual festival. There was something for everyone from ice carving, cozy drinks at the ice lounge, spectacular lights, and the Earth Harp’s larger-than-life installation. The event included live music with 35 different artist performing, including a breath taking performance from William Close and his Earth Harp Collective.
William Close set up his Earth Harp on the 300 west block and attached the strings to the Galleria trees. Not only was the performance a beautiful sight for the eyes, it also was a treat for the ears.
WILLIAM CLOSE AND THE EARTH HARP
William Close is an installation artist, musician and visionary who has developed over one hundred new musical instruments including the famed Earth Harp. The body of The Earth Harp rests on the stage while the strings travel over the audience, extending up to 1000 ft. in length, and attach to the back of the venue, turning every space into an instrument.
WILLIAM CLOSE
William studied sculpture and sound design at the Art Institute of Chicago and his work explores the connection between architecture and music. Inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright quote “architecture is frozen music”, Close creates musical installations that use the architecture as part of the instrument. The Earth Harp has been installed in some of the most iconic destinations in the world such as The Coliseum in Rome, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center in the US, The Seattle Space Needle, the temples of Vietnam, Grand Theater of Shanghai International Arts Festival, Brazil’s Theatro Municipal in São Paulo, The Dhow Harbour in Qatar, and major US festivals like Coachella, Bumbershoot, Burning Man and Lightning In A Bottle.
THE EARTH HARP COLLECTIVE
William is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Earth Harp Collective, an internationally renowned performance group that combines the creative forces of artists, musicians, dancers and aerialists.