William Thoren grew up in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains on Malibou Lake. He spent his childhood swimming in the lake and exploring the seemingly endless Malibu Creek State Park. The timeless beauty of the scenery developed his love for the outdoors and shaped his reality. He picked up a camera for the first time as a sophomore in high school and like his mentor Douglas Kirkland became obsessed with photography at a very early age. After traveling throughout Europe, South America, and Australia, William was hired as an assistant to Kirkland’s studio where he continues his education in the art of image making. William has received a number of student awards, including a semi-finalist spot for the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards. He is also the first photographer to be accepted into the Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains. In addition to documenting the surrounding spectacular landscapes, he photographs musicians and artists. His work of the Santa Monica Mountains can be seen in his gallery space at the Cornell Winery.

William’s talents are diverse, and his other passion is an Aboriginal musical instrument called the didgeridoo. At the age of 11, he discovered the instrument while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. All throughout middle school and high school, he developed his playing skills and made his own didgeridoos out of PVC pipe, yucca, and hard wood. In 2007 he traveled to Australia to further pursue the art of playing and crafting the didgeridoo. He was fortunate enough to connect with William Barton, an acclaimed Aboriginal didgeridoo player who performs with symphony orchestras worldwide. While Barton was on tour in Australia, William traveled with him and learned advanced rhythms and techniques. Barton later connected William with Djalu Guruwiwi, custodian of the Yidaki and one of the most respected traditional makers of the instrument. With Djalu, he spent time in North East Arnhemland learning traditional methods of crafting the instrument. Since his return, William has conceived a new didgeridoo technique he calls “the low note”. This technique allows him to play extremely low notes on relatively short didgeridoos. He has developed a contemporary style of playing and crafting around this unheard of method.

William is currently working on a book documenting renowned didgeridoo players and crafters from around the world. He performs locally in Los Angeles both solo and with several groups.