Timbre & Orchestration Network

TONE is a 7-year (2026-2033) international partnership project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) that puts together a network of researchers including scholars and scientists from a wide range of academic disciplines (music theory, ethnomusicology, music psychology, acoustics, etc.) as well as practicing musicians (composers, improvisers, pedagogues, and performers from different global music traditions) with the aim to elucidate timbre and orchestration concepts that transcend musical style and genre and yet account for differences across musical traditions. To this end, musicians and scholars with a wide range of expertise have been involved, both in notated and non-notated practices, ranging from Western classical music to oral musical traditions, contemporary popular music genres, and experimental sonic explorations. 

Throughout this Partnership, co-directed by a theorist/composer and a music psychologist, we value the consilience of the arts, humanities, and sciences and adopt a consciously interdisciplinary approach to address the many timbre and orchestration research questions that do not fit within traditional disciplinary boundaries. The resultant interdisciplinarity is evidenced in the interacting of domains of expertise that takes place in TONE's research axes: (A1) Analysis of Timbre and Orchestration and (A2) Research-Creation. 

Our approach to research-creation brings together artists and scholars through research ensembles and other co-creative laboratories to develop both new music and new ways of conceptualizing timbre and orchestration that are grounded in musical practice. Over its 7-year timeline, TONE’s 12 academic and 4 nonprofit cultural-sector Partners will expand existing tools and methods, develop a broad new set of principles and techniques, and revolutionize music scholarship, creation, and pedagogy.

Mission Statement

  • TONE will form a global, interdisciplinary research-creation community connecting scholars and artists at Canadian institutions with leading scholars, musicians and Partners worldwide.
  • TONE proposes to acquire knowledge of orchestration practices and their perceptual effects on listeners; knowledge that will, for the first time, traverse musical cultures, styles, and genres.
  • TONE will offer a new perspective on music studies, allowing significant and fundamental advances in our understanding and practice of music making through a focus on the previously understudied musical parameters of timbre and orchestration. Our research will reach audiences both within and beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
  • TONE will also advance our knowledge of the perceptual and social principles and processes underlying orchestration practice for the development of stronger theory—broadly applicable and grounded in perception and cognition—as well as more efficient pedagogical methods and materials.
  • TONE will further develop digital tools to enhance orchestrational creation and analysis and the dissemination of knowledge.

Governance

 

TONE Governance

The governance structure for TONE uses well-defined, coordinated mechanisms to ensure successful delivery of Partnership research, collaborations, and outputs.

Project Co-Directors (PCD) and TONE Central: Professors Stephen McAdams (Axis 2 leader) and Robert Hasegawa (Axis 1 leader) coordinate the strategic vision and intellectual leadership of the project with the Partners and provide financial and administrative oversight and day-to-day management with TONE Central, the core operations team. The PCDs foster inclusive governance practices and equitable recognition of contributions across the Partnership. 

PM: Andre Oliveira (full-time PM) reports directly to the PCDs and is responsible for project administration and coordination, communications and web content (with PDFs), planning and implementation of knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., events and community outreach projects), and drafting annual reports documenting project results and spending. The PM attends committee meetings, helps track EDI metrics, and ensures accessibility in communications and activities. 

Institutional Representatives (IR): One co-applicant (CA) from each Partner serves as IR. They are responsible for coordinating activities of Partner team members, communicating between the Partner’s administration and the PCDs, representing the Partner at annual meetings, and participating on a rotating basis on the Executive Committee, or other committees, as appropriate. 

Committees & International Advisory Board (IAB): TONE's activities are guided by four committees and the IAB. 

  • The Executive Committee (EC) participates in budget planning, fund allocation, and planning of project activities.
  • The Training and Mentoring Committee (TMC) coordinates training opportunities for students on research methods, collaboration ethics, and research dissemination.
  • The Knowledge Mobilization Committee (KMC) seeks mobilization opportunities in traditional, popular, and social media, including conferences, journals, magazines, digital tools, exhibitions, lecture-concerts, and pedagogical animations for young viewers with an eye toward diversifying the output across cultures. It will also consult on the development of the TOR.
  • The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) ensures equitable and responsible stewardship of TONE's EDI mandate, which involves developing an EDI plan for TONE’s cross-cultural and transdisciplinary research agenda.
  • The International Advisory Board (IAB) provides overall wisdom, guidance and counsel as well as specific advice on various issues.  

Axis structure: TONE's research is carried out through two complementary research axes: 1) Analysis of Timbre and Orchestration (in composition, performance, and perception, as well as specific cultural contexts) and 2) Research-Creation (including collaborative composer-performer ensembles, improvisation, and work with acousticians and recording engineers). Frequent interdisciplinary exchanges between the axes supports a groundbreaking expansion in our scholarly understanding and creative practices, including an engagement with popular music, jazz, electronic music, and traditional musics from around the world. PCDs are responsible for overseeing the coordination of sub-axis activities in their axis.