City National Plaza, ConnectLA to Present William Close and the Earth Harp Collective
Industry: Entertainment & Games
Close will create city’s largest harp by attaching his custom instrument to a 700ft. tall skyscraper
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (PRUnderground) September 17th, 2015
City National Plaza and musician and installation artist William Close are pleased to announce an upcoming performance that will entertain audiences with a unique sound and a custom-made, record-breaking instrument – The Earth Harp.
ConnectLA, a premiere corporate hospitality program housed within the City National Plaza, is working closely with both the venue and the artist ahead of the performance. William Close and the Earth Harp Collective will be presenting their provocative and mesmerizing show for one night on December 10, 2015. There will be two free shows – one at 6pm and the other at 8pm, both part of the Downtown art walk.
Developed and built by Close, the body of the Earth Harp rests on stage, while the strings extend up to 1000 feet in length above its audience, turning every space into an instrument. Close studied sculpture and sound design at the Art Institute of Chicago. His installations and performances have been experienced around the world – including The Coliseum in Rome, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, 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, Lightning In A Bottle, and more. Close designed an Earth Harp installation as part of a 1,300-seat theater aboard the Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas. Together with the Earth Harp Collective, he has conducted educational workshops and other events at Chicago’s Field Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and others.Following his appearance on America’s Got Talent, Close and The Earth Harp were recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest playable stringed musical instrument.
To experience The Earth Harp, watch William Close and the Earth Harp Collective Here: https://youtu.be/MdnDdYJyMTg.
About his upcoming performances at the City National Plaza, Close said, “I am really looking forward to installing the Earth Harp atop of one of the City National Towers and having the chance to perform a symphonic concert in the plaza below. I’ve traveled the world installing 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.”
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!”
For Media/Artist Inquiries Contact:
Anna Pearson
Red Light Management
323-432-3227
anna.pearson@redlightmanagement.com
Matt Kendall
Concept Artists
212.343.0956
matt@conceptartists.com
About ConnectLA
ConnectLA is a premiere corporate hospitality program housed at City National Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. City National Plaza is located at 515. S Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90071.
