World renowned installation artist, musician William Close, will perform a historical, breathtaking symphonic concert with his Earth Harp Collective for their first public hometown show in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec 10 as part of Downtown Art Walk and Vision LA. The newly extended Earth Harp, featuring 24-36 strings, will be a mesmerizing sight and sound experience when attached 700 feet high to the iconic City National Plaza Tower at 505 S. Flower in Downtown Los Angeles. The one hour show will run twice throughout the evening at 6pm and 8pm. This free event is all ages and makes for an unforgettable holiday outing.
The Los Angeles concert will feature new compositions played by an ensemble of musicians performing on four of William Close’s self-invented large-scale instruments, including the big/orchestral drum sculptures, drum percussion jacket and aquatar. The Earth Harp Collective will be joined by special guest violinist Shaina Evoniuk, vocalist Rafe Pearlman, and introducing Sorne, an operatic rock vocalist bringing his unparalleled hypnotic angelic falsetto and four octave vocal range.
The setting of the City National Plaza is the perfect location for William’s work, which explores the connection between architecture and music. Inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright quote “architecture is frozen music,” Close creates musical installations that utilize architecture as part of the instrument.
The N.Y. Times calls it “an instrument unlike anything Bach or Beethoven could have ever imagined.” Listening to the Earth Harp live is a rare breathtaking experience as the crowd is placed under the strings within the sound-box. After an Earth Harp experience, one knows that they have just been a part of something unique, beautiful and one of those many points where arts, music and science collide.
About his upcoming performances at the City National Plaza, Close said, “I am really looking forward to installing the Earth Harp atop one of the towers and having the chance to perform a symphonic concert in the plaza below. I’ve traveled the world installing the Earth Harp in and around many iconic pieces of architecture, but this will be the first time I’ve strung the Harp to the top of a skyscraper in my hometown of Los Angeles. The 24 – 36 musical strings will run from the resonator/bridge mounted to the stage in the plaza, straight up, over 700 feet to the top of one of the towers. When I play it, it will be as though I am playing the sky.”
William Close’s installations and performances have been experienced around the globe – including major US festivals such as Coachella, Lightning In A Bottle, Burning Man, and historical locations such as The Coliseum in Rome, The Seattle Space Needle, the temples of Vietnam, Grand Theater of Shanghai International Arts Festival, and CapitaLand in Singapore, where he received the Guinness World Record for the “longest playable stringed musical instrument.” The Earth Harp is a permanent installation for Cirque du Soleil’s KA at the MGM Las Vegas and the Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas.
Watch highlights of William and The Earth Harp Collective’s performances here: http://vimeo.com/60285206.
ConnectLA, a premiere corporate hospitality program housed within City National Plaza, has enjoyed working with William Close on this event. ConnectLA’s director, Xandra Myers, said, “The Earth Harp celebrates the unsuppressed imagination by utilizing the venue as its canvas, creating a breathtaking experience for the audience. We are thrilled to be sharing this masterpiece with the community!”
Come start the holiday season right with this spectacular free performance, and enjoy a delicious dinner with friends and family before or after the show at restaurants Chaya, Drago and Weiland Brewery located at the City National Plaza. Parking is available at the Central Library on 5th, at 400 South Flower across the street, or the 7th Street Metro station is just blocks away.
Credit: Vision LA Fest, William Close and The Earth Harp.
