Ryan and Hays Holladay

Ryan and Hays Holladay are American composers, sound artists and multimedia producers known for their experimental work at the intersection of music, technology and physical space. Working together as a creative duo, they have developed site-specific soundscapes, location-aware albums and scores for film and television that explore non-linear listening and interactive participation.

Early life and education The Holladay brothers grew up near Washington, D.C., often cited as Arlington, Virginia, where they began making music as self-taught musicians. As teenagers and young adults they played together in bands including Sirhan Sirhan and The Epochs, an alternative rock group based in Brooklyn, New York, fronted by the brothers alongside other members. Hays Holladay has been described in public profiles primarily as a composer, producer and sound artist, often in collaboration with his brother.

Style and themes Across installations, mobile projects and scores, the Holladay brothers’ work often emphasizes exploration, discovery and non-linear storytelling. They have experimented with synchronizing everyday objects and antique lamps to musical events in live performance, creating audiovisual environments that respond to movement, place and time.

Their music commonly blends electronic textures, ambient soundscapes and more traditional harmonic writing, using layered patterns and spatialization to give each listener a personalized perspective within the same work. Critics and collaborators have described them as sound pioneers and multidimensional storytellers whose work challenges conventional boundaries between recorded media, performance and interactive art.

Recognition Ryan Holladay has been named a Senior TED Fellow, and previously a TED Fellow and Aspen Ideas Scholar, reflecting his role as a public speaker and advocate for innovative approaches to music and technology. He has appeared at TED and TEDx events discussing location-based composition and the potential of mobile devices as creative tools, including a TEDxJacksonHole talk titled "Lost in sound".

Together, the Holladay brothers have received attention from arts institutions, technology companies and media outlets for their experimental work, with commissions and partnerships spanning cultural diplomacy projects, commercial collaborations and festival performances. Their inclusion in the U.S. Department of State's art programs highlights the role of their site-specific soundscapes in representing contemporary American multimedia art abroad.

Personal life The brothers were raised outside Washington, D.C., and have lived and worked in cities including New York, Los Angeles and the greater D.C. area while pursuing musical and artistic projects. Their long-term collaboration with Zach Cregger extended from their early band activities into film scoring and other media work.