Vollenweider was born in 1953 and is the son of Hans Vollenweider (1918-1993), an organist and composer. Andreas grew up in a creatively diverse and inspiring environment. A self–taught multi-instrumentalist, he searches for ‘his’ instrument. In 1975, Vollenweider discovered the harp and, finding its traditional versions too limited for his own musical ideas, developed his own playing technique, tailoring the instrument according to his needs. He created the electro-acoustic harp.