Meet the Silent Movie Guy

I'm William Zeitler, a pianist, organist and composer who loves bringing silent movies to life with live music.

I've been playing piano since I was five. I earned my performance degree from the California Institute of the Arts, and my musical journey has taken me to marvelous places including the Kennedy Center with the Washington National Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl with the Blue Man Group.

Along the way, I've composed music for films, played theater organ, and spent years performing on the glass armonica — an extraordinary musical instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin.

And I've discovered that one of my favorite things to do is sit down at a keyboard, turn on a silent movie, and improvise the music as the story unfolds.

I've accompanied everything from short comedies to full-length features, sometimes playing non-stop for more than two hours.

After decades of professional music-making, I've found myself returning to something wonderfully simple:

I love sharing beautiful things with people.

There's something deeply satisfying about a room full of people laughing together at a hundred-year-old comedy, or becoming completely absorbed in an adventure made before movies learned to talk.

That's why I'm the Silent Movie Guy.

And I hope to see you at the movies.

— William Zeitler