Liz Tonne is an improvisor and interpreter of contemporary classical music. Using an array of extended vocal techniques, her work explores the edge of the voice as an instrument. Her vocalizations tease out unarticulated psychological states, sometimes through singing, but more often in the mimicry of sound; of birdsong, the creaking of mechanical devices or in conjured memories buried in forgotten languages.

Tonne was a Boston-based vocal artist throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s collaborating in numerous groups that helped define Boston’s electro-acoustic aesthetic. As a member of the pioneering ensemble, undr quartet, she contributed to the presentation of ambient minimalism (lowercase music) expressed by the collective unconscious of underground experimental music at the turn of the century. Tonne was also a member The BSC. Curated by Bhob Rainey, this group of eight electro-acoustic musicians translated a mature and orchestral form of improvised music.

In anticipation of John Cage’s 100th birthday celebration Tonne performed the composer’s Ryoanjii and selections from Songbooks in duet with percussionist Tim Feeney at Cornell University. She participated in further productions of Songbooks at The Philadelphia Museum of Art with The BSC as part of the festival Cage: Beyond Silence. Current projects include a collaboration with artists Jeff Gibbons and Gregory Ruppe of Dallas’ Culture Hole on a sound installation planned for the Nasher Sculpture Center as part of Dallas’ 2018 Soluna Festival.

Liz Tonne’s most recent recorded work was aired during a live broadcast on Miami Beach in conjunction with Art Basel. Other work can be heard in various collaborative settings on the Grob, Sedimental, Simple Geometry and Semata Productions labels.