C.J. (Chris) Tonelli, Dr

Building on his experience as a soundsinger, leader of improvising community choirs, and research he completed as post-doctoral fellow with the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation Chris Tonelli published the book Voices Found: Free Jazz and Singing. The book is the first book-length study of what he refers to as "soundsinging," a singing practice which grew of out free jazz, sound poetry, and other practices in and beyond the 1950s and 1960s. Singers and improvising choir directors discussed in the volume include Yoko Ono, Jeanne Lee, Christine Jeffrey, Maggie Nicols, Phil Minton, Paul Dutton, Jaap Blonk, Shelley Hirsch, Anna Homler, Tomomi Adachi, David Moss, Christine Duncan, DB Boyko, and Joane Hétu. Alongside its historical components, the book will offer a theory of the symbolic functions of unconventional vocal sound.

Following the publication of Voices Found, he continues to complete historical, philosophical, and practice-centred work on vocality, improvisation, community and music. He also writes on topics including popular music and mimesis, transnational exchanges of popular music in and from Japan, and ludomusicology. Recent publications include a chapter on "Game Music and Identity" in the Cambridge Companion to Video Game Music and a chapter on "Scat and Vocalise" for a forthcoming edited volume also on Cambridge University Press.

His current project is a chapter on video game music and masculinities for a forthcoming edited volume.