THE TREE HARP


The Tree Harp is a large playable installation designed to be attached to a tall tree for the duration of an event or festival.  The harp is constructed of wood and metal, and stringed with steel piano wire.  It is attached to a tree with heavy duty tie-down straps, which cause no damage to the tree.  The harp can be used for performance, or as a focal point for memorable acoustic jam sessions.  If appropriate, the harp can be connected to a portable battery powered amplifier.

Matti Palonen first began designing the tree harp in 2015 while optimizing the string tension calculations for building kanteles.  In the following years, the harp design has grown to its current size of 11 feet tall with 36 strings (5 octaves).  Matti has also installed harps into dead hollow trees, including one at Folk Camp in Grafton Ontario.  A video of one of these harps has been viewed on the Dust-To-Digital Facebook page over 2.4 Million times.

Previous installations of the Tree Harp
September 21-22, 2019 House Show en Plein Air, Saint-Calixte, Québec 
August 4, 2019 High Park Zoo
July 5, 2019 High Park Zoo
August 26, 2018 Community Barbecue, Agricola Lutheran Church
​June 17, 2018 Day of Delight Festival, Dufferin Grove Park
​June 19, 2016 Day of Delight Festival, Dufferin Grove Park
September 27, 2015 Jane's Walk, Ron Watson Park
September 26, 2015 Scarborough Arts' Culture Days, Bluffs Gallery
June 21, 2015 Day of Delight Festival, Dufferin Grove Park
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VIDEOS OF THE TREE HARP

FESTIVAL/EVENT INSTALLATIONS
House Show en Plein Air, September 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnEW1HKtJ4
High Park Zoo, August 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJbebKWedGI
High Park Zoo, July 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOUTMvSRu94
​Day of Delight, June 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnzN2dmMyno

HOLLOW TREE INSTALLATIONS
Video on Dust-to-Digital Site https://www.facebook.com/dusttodigital/videos/776977179368650/
Manitoulin Island 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcHU_6O4vYI
Folk Camp 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1NiwQJRLk
Folk Camp 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzGzut64V8k
Folk Camp 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NaFPFlqCOE
Folk Camp 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u6CF1vVf1g


PHOTOS OF THE TREE HARP


​TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Tree Harp is designed to be installed against a large tree.  Ideally, the location will be visible to the public with an area for viewers to spread blankets or set up chairs.  The tree itself should have a straight trunk, and have no branches below 11 feet (3.3 metres).  Structurally, the tree should have a trunk diameter of at least 7 inches (18 cm), but aesthetically, the trunk should be at least 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter.


CONTACT INFO

Please contact me at [email protected] for more information
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/heronsvow/
Instagram ​https://www.instagram.com/tree_harp/