Ryan Closs is a Long Island based specialist of Historical Plucked Strings Performance. He is a requested performer for Operas, Cantatas, and Orchestras who has gained much attention for his work with dancers, singers, and chamber ensembles. Ryan’s duties as an outreach soloist for the Lute Society of America have earned him a title as the head of its NY chapter. His outreach performances have contributed to the growing knowledge and appreciation of the Lute, its times, and its music, a mission he continues and expands upon with his own period ensembles ‘4&20Strings’ and ‘Early Music Long Island’. In 2022 Ryan and his wife, Mackenzie, began the launch of a pseudo-virtual artistic manifold titled ‘Shoebox Opera’.

As an avid enthusiast of early music practices, Ryan participates in many outreach concerts bringing the Lute to new audiences performing traditional music, complimented with new contemporary folk songs in a universal Troubador fashion. In an effort to involve his community he formed Early Music Long Island, a community based ensemble that performs songs using ground bass progressions and improvised divisions. He is also recognized as an ‘ambassador’ for the Lute Society of America (LSA) as an outreach performer, and Head of the New York Chapter of the LSA (LSA-NY). His Baroque ensemble (4&20 Strings) continues with the virtue of encouraging new audiences to be active and informed listeners.

Ryan has an A.A.S in Classical Guitar performance from SUNY Nassau Community College, a B.S. in Lute Studies from Adelphi University, and studied for a while at CUNY Queens College before completing his Bachelors. His primary instructors for these degrees have been:

  Steve Leonard, Bill Zito, Chris Morrongiello, & Pat O'Brien