Foundation History

With degrees in both history and piano performance, Cris Forster left academia in 1974, and in 1975, began designing and building new musical instruments tuned in just intonation. In 1976, he received a Special Projects Grant from the California Arts Council to compose and perform his first major work entitled Song of Myself: Intoned Poems of Walt Whitman for voice, Chrysalis, and Harmonic/Melodic Canon. From 1976–1980, he acted as curator, archivist, and performer for the Harry Partch Foundation, where he tuned, repaired, and rebuilt virtually all the Partch instruments; he also performed as string player and percussionist. Finally, in 1982, he established the Chrysalis Foundation to support and finance his work as builder, composer, and performer.

Industrial manufacturers in the United States and Japan donated valuable parts, tools, and materials for the construction of musical instruments and the string-winding machine. (See Instruments and Music.) The Foundation received items such as ball bearings, crystal glasses, diamond cutting tools, tropical hardwoods, aluminum tubing, acrylic tubing, hand and machine tools, etc. Cris continued composing, trained musicians, and gave lecture demonstrations, exhibits, and public performances of his works. During this time, his efforts attracted widespread attention and articles appeared in numerous publications, including Life Magazine, Omni Magazine, The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Magical Blend, etc. (See About Cris Forster.) The Board of Directors provided guidance and focus for the growth and development of the Foundation, raised funds from individual patrons, and sponsored special events to support ongoing activities.

Community service projects were also an integral part of the Foundation. Cris donated his materials and labor to build musical instruments for other nonprofit organizations, and the Foundation sponsored two children’s musical theater productions, organized art exhibits, and funded performances by independent musicians.

Throughout these years, Cris began composing a large work for musicians and dancers entitled Ellis Island/Angel Island: A Vision of the American Immigrants. Based on his own life experiences (two intercontinental immigrations by age 10), and scored for the full ensemble of instruments, this work promised to be the pinnacle of his creative endeavors to date. His efforts to compose were seriously constrained, however, by the lack of a studio in which to work. Despite intensive fundraising efforts, the Foundation was, at that time, unable to afford a space large enough to house the entire orchestra.

During these years the Foundation underwent a period of relative dormancy while Cris researched and wrote the book Musical Mathematics: On the Art and Science of Acoustic Instruments. (See Musical Mathematics Pages > Table of Contents.) His idea was to create a comprehensive volume that would encapsulate all he had learned and experienced during 16 years of building, tuning, and exploring uncharted spaces. He was motivated by his desire to educate fellow musicians and to fill the crucial gaps in our traditional knowledge that have prevented ongoing development of acoustic music in our culture. Musical Mathematics took ten years of intensive work to complete. It is a generous volume that presents essential information about musical instruments and tunings that has never before been discussed. This work strives to raise the standard for the study of acoustic music, and to challenge all those who care about this discipline to a more thorough and rigorous investigation into what it means to make music. It is both a carefully researched historic document and a sound scientific text that musicians, students, scholars, and instrument makers can access for reliable facts, study to gain new insights, and reference for a multitude of purposes. (The bibliography contains more than 350 referenced works, most of them original sources.) Above all, it stands as a bridge between the realms of science and music, and confirms the interdependence of these two disciplines.

Upon completion of Musical Mathematics, the Chrysalis Foundation was reactivated with a dedicated new board of trustees that engaged a large community of patrons to support our work. Our primary objective upon reemerging from this period of public inactivity was to find a studio large enough to house the full ensemble of instruments and to serve as a center for all our activities. After diligent searching, we succeeded in this goal and leased a 2500 square-foot building in San Francisco’s SOMA district in November 2002. From the beginning, we knew the space had great potential. We didn’t know just how much time, money, and hard work it would take to convert an empty warehouse into the rehearsal/performance space we envisioned, but we were determined to find the expert help we needed to make it happen. A generous team of individuals who shared our enthusiasm for the project came forward to work with us, as well as a dozen companies. Over the course of the next nine months, we completed the major improvements required. These included a level wood sub-floor, new roof and skylights, a reliable security system, upgraded electrical and plumbing, a sound wall to block city noise, paint, wall-to-wall carpeting, custom skylight covers, and theatrical curtains.

The finished studio is everything we had hoped for and more. The acoustics are excellent. It is comfortable and intimate, yet large enough to amply accommodate the entire ensemble of instruments and an audience of up to one hundred people. In June 2003, we moved the instruments into their new home. The Chrysalis New Music Studio (CNMS) has emerged out of our concerted efforts as a sanctuary for the composition and development of new acoustic music and as a truly unique venue where people can gather to hear inspiring performances of groundbreaking works.

With the instruments finally together under one roof, Cris returned to his musical life, practicing daily and once again applying himself to the rigors of composing. He resumed writing Ellis Island/Angel Island, and began training a small ensemble of musicians to perform a program of his works at the Chrysalis New Music Studio. This would be the first public presentation of his music in over ten years.

The inaugural concerts took place on October 4th and October 5th, 2003. Chrysalis Foundation patrons and general public gathered at the CNMS for an elegant reception followed by a program that included excerpts from Song of Myself and Ellis Island/Angel Island. The near-capacity audiences were transfixed during the performances, and showed their appreciation with spontaneous standing ovations. Following the concerts, the crowds lingered to talk with board members and musicians, and to appreciate the fine craftsmanship and unique sounds of the instruments. Positive feedback from individuals continued long after the event. This was an auspicious beginning for the Chrysalis New Music Studio.

Inspired by the momentum generated by the concerts, Cris returned to the CNMS for an intensive year of practice and composition. All of 2004 was devoted to his musical growth and the continued development of Ellis Island/Angel Island. On the administrative front, efforts of the grant writing team were rewarded by significant grants from seven organizations and companies, which helped sustain our work throughout this period. (See Grants Received.)

In January 2005, the Foundation hosted the premiere of three new works by Cris Forster. These three pieces, written for Just Keys, comprise most of the first act of Ellis Island/Angel Island and portray three painful stages of the immigrant experience: parting from loved ones, Good-Bye, leaving homeland behind, Farewell, and embarking on an ocean journey into the unknown, Far Away. See Instruments and Music > Just Keys to watch video performances of all three pieces. (Also, see Cris Forster’s Musical Scores.)

With Ellis Island/Angel Island growing, the need to build an ensemble of musicians to play it became the next priority. So, throughout 2005 we focused our efforts on recruitment and training of musicians. An outreach campaign to connect with conservatory and university students throughout the Bay Area led to the first musician recruitment event at the CNMS in February 2005. Soon after this, the Chrysalis Foundation received a significant grant from the Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund to provide training stipends for our interns. With this added incentive, we held a second recruitment event in June. Fourteen musicians returned to audition, and from this group we chose six to join the first Chrysalis Foundation Internship Program.

The musicians immediately began their training, which included biweekly practice sessions at the CNMS and intensive one-on-one sessions with Cris. Interns attended theory classes in addition to their private studies, and practiced at home on mock-ups of their instruments. Because two musicians did not meet our requirements for continuing into the second session, we added one new musician in September and continued into phase two with five musicians. Private practice sessions and individual lessons were augmented with ensemble rehearsals throughout the fall as interns began practicing The Harbor, a trio, and Blue Nights, a new quartet that Cris wrote especially for the ensemble. To watch performances of both these ensemble pieces, see Instruments and Music > Glassdance.

On December 3rd and 4th, 2005, we presented two concerts at the CNMS featuring music composed for all seven original instruments. Chrysalis ensemble musicians performed excerpts from two compositions by Cris Forster, Song of Myself: Intoned Poems of Walt Whitman and Ellis Island/Angel Island: A Vision of the American Immigrants. Both concerts were enthusiastically received by full audiences.

Later in December, a professional video crew under the direction of Eli Noyes videotaped the entire concert, and then returned to interview the composer and all the participating musicians. Using this footage and archival materials, and with continued professional assistance from Eli Noyes, we produced a documentary about the Chrysalis Foundation entitled A Voyage in Music. Peter Boyer and Terry Gamble-Boyer hosted a premiere screening at their home in November 2006. This documentary encapsulates 30 years of development in the field, and gives viewers a succinct yet comprehensive overview of Cris Forster’s work under the auspices of the Chrysalis Foundation. Extras on the DVD include full performances of eight compositions. Most importantly, the documentary addresses issues of essential significance to musicians and music-lovers. Why build different musical instruments? Why explore new tunings? How does one compose in alternative tuning systems? A Voyage in Music addresses these fundamental questions, and demonstrates that there are exciting possibilities for creative exploration still awaiting those who desire to participate in the development of acoustic music.

In 2006 and 2007, the Chrysalis Foundation raised funds to purchase professional recording equipment for installation in the Chrysalis New Music Studio. A grant from San Francisco Grants for the Arts helped inspire individual patrons to donate generously toward this project. Neumann USA extended a significant discount that enabled us to purchase seven of their finest microphones, widely considered by recording experts to be the professional standard. We used this state-of-the-art equipment to record the narrative for the documentary, as well as recent performances. We will continue to record all future performances at the CNMS.

In early 2008, Cris Forster received an Individual Artist Commission from the San Francisco Arts Commission. This grant was awarded toward a second internship program, to be followed by another concert series. However, we postponed plans for the internship and the Arts Commission subsequently granted an extension because of a surprising sequence of events.

Although we had succeeded in accomplishing many significant goals by 2008, one aspiration remained unfulfilled: Musical Mathematics was still unpublished. Excerpts of the book posted at the website inspired many enthusiastic advance orders from all over the globe, yet our efforts to find an academic or scientific press with the courage to espouse such a revolutionary work proved futile. Finally, the Chrysalis Foundation decided to self-publish the book. On August 1, 2008, in what he called a “mythological moment,” Cris began the task of reformatting and typesetting the manuscript himself in order to reduce its size and bring it up to publishing standards. The Ayrshire Foundation contributed generously to support this venture, as did other farsighted patrons. Tangent Computer donated a state-of-the-art computer system to manage the complicated demands of the design software programs. In June 2009, after almost a full year of nonstop work, Cris finished redesigning, typesetting, and indexing the book.

At this time, Chronicle Books San Francisco stepped forward with an offer to publish Musical Mathematics. All the years of hard work had culminated in this decision by an established local publishing company to recognize the book’s long-term potential. For the next nine months, along with Chronicle staff, we edited the book, selected high quality materials for its production, and reviewed proofs. Musical Mathematics: On the Art and Science of Acoustic Instruments was released in July 2010 as a 944 page hardbound volume. (See M.M. Look Inside! to download the Table of Contents and to see the first pages of every chapter.)

In September 2010, we hosted a Publication Celebration at the CNMS to honor loyal supporters of the book effort. For this event, Cris played a new 15-minute work on the Diamond Marimba entitled Wild Flower. (This performance was a Diamond Marimba solo. He added the Bass Marimba part of the duet in 2012.) A festive dinner for our guests followed at the home of Tom Driscoll and Nancy Quinn.

Musical Mathematics is currently available in many libraries, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Library, Juilliard, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia, MIT, New York Public Library, University of Chicago, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, five U.C. campuses, and others. See M.M. Extensive Reviews to read seven thoughtful reviews of Musical Mathematics from various professionals in the field. Readers may also find thirteen M.M. Online Short Reviews and eleven 5-star customer reviews posted at Amazon.com. Publication of this book represents a major fulfillment of the Foundation’s educational goals. It is now circulating in the world with the power to enlighten, influence, and invigorate the development of acoustic music.

In late 2011, we received an extremely generous donation of hardware and software from Tangent Computer to complete the Chrysalis Foundation recording studio. This included a MacBook Pro with speakers and external hard drives, along with ProTools sound recording equipment and sound editing software. Cris spent the first six months of 2012 studying and learning to use all these new resources. In conjunction with the discounted Neumann microphones, speakers, and other equipment previously acquired, we now have a superlative in-house system capable of making professional quality recordings at the Chrysalis New Music Studio.

Supported by Cris’ Individual Artist Commission and another generous grant from the Argosy Foundation, the second Chrysalis Foundation Internship Program began in June 2012 with musician recruitment and auditions. We chose five new interns who practiced twice weekly at the CNMS and received intensive one-on-one training from our music director, Cris. Phase one ran from July through September, after which two interns withdrew from the program. We selected one new intern, and then launched into phase two, September through December. In addition to individual practice sessions and private training with Cris, interns attended ensemble rehearsals, October through December. The program culminated with two concerts on December 1st and 2nd, 2012 at the CNMS. These concerts featured excerpts from Song of Myself: Intoned Poems of Walt Whitman and Ellis Island/Angel Island: A Vision of the American Immigrants. The highlight of the concerts was the premiere of a new rendition of Wild Flower for Diamond Marimba and Bass Marimba.

Throughout the early months of 2013, Cris continued coaching the Chrysalis Ensemble in preparation for a professional videotaping session. A director, two cameramen, a lighting technician, and a recording engineer convened at the CNMS on March 17 to videotape and record Chrysalis musicians playing both solo and ensemble pieces. This was a perfect opportunity to use the Foundation’s state of the art recording equipment for the first time, and the session proved to be a fulfilling culmination to the second Internship Program for all participants.

Over the next few months, Cris worked with a team of video and audio specialists to professionally mix and master all eight solo and ensemble pieces. These high quality videos accurately capture the sights and sounds of the Chrysalis Ensemble in performance as never before. (To experience these performances, please view the first eight videos at YouTube Just Intonation Music Videos.)

A full-length feature article, Cris Forster’s ‘Just’ Musical Menagerie, appeared July 2013 in San Francisco Classical Voice. (See San Francisco Classical Voice Article.)

After a long hiatus from building to write Musical Mathematics, compose, teach, and perform, Cris decided to return to the shop, this time to construct an improved version of his very first instrument, Chrysalis I, originally built in 1975-1976. Anticipating this project in early 2012, we obtained a supply of rare 200-year-old spruce for the soundboards, with help from our patrons. Grover Musical Products then donated 12 sets of superlative tuning gears and significantly discounted 16 more sets to provide the 164 individual tuning gears needed for the Chrysalis wheel, plus four extra gears.

Why build another Chrysalis at all? The answer lies in tension over time. All stringed instruments undergo changes in geometry due to string tension. On the original Chrysalis, combined tension from 82 strings per side was bending the soundboards and undermining the structural stability of the tuning gears. So, the design of Chrysalis II incorporates many improvements, including soundboards that are three times thicker, 8 ribs per soundboard instead of the original 7, double plywood rings around the circumference of the wheel, and internal stainless steel supports. These structural changes all provide extra rigidity to counteract bending of the soundboard and tilting of the tuning gears.

Cris drafted detailed plans in late summer 2013, began building in October 2013, and finished Chrysalis II in March 2015. His thoughts upon completion: “Since making Chrysalis I in 1975-1976, I’ve learned a lot about building and acquired many machines and tools that I didn’t have before. I initially thought that Chrysalis II would be easy, but I’ve learned that nothing about creating a better instrument is easy.” The Chrysalis Foundation website hosts a comprehensive photo journal entitled Building New Chrysalis II that chronicles his progress and shows all the fascinating stages of the complex construction process.

Experiencing Chrysalis II with all its improvements, we realized it would be impossible to abandon Chrysalis I to continued deterioration. Determined to restore his first instrument to pristine condition, Cris spent the remainder of 2015 rebuilding Chrysalis I. Except for the soundboards, support rings, and bridges, he installed all new components based on Chrysalis II construction. Both Chrysalises are now optimally equipped to withstand the tension of 164 strings and to produce profoundly sustained and resonant tones.

In early 2016, PTC Product Lifecycle Report published an article on Cris’ ingenious use of Mathcad, their engineering math software program. (See PTC Mathcad Article.)

At this time, we faced the prospect of losing our SoMa studio. Noise from construction projects going full blast on all sides made it impossible to continue working there. Desperate for some peace and quiet, we called our friend Dan Matarozzi of Matarozzi-Pelsinger Builders. (Mat-Pel did the original renovation of the studio in 2003, transforming it from an old auto garage into a splendid rehearsal, performance, and recording space.) Along with acoustical engineer David Schwind, we came up with a plan to soundproof the studio. The plan entailed transforming the back portion of the studio into an “acoustic bunker” by closing it off with a sound barrier wall and acoustically sealed solid wood double doors. It also involved insulating three large skylights covering a sizeable portion of the ceiling area, primary sources of sound entry. Both the wall and the skylights required specialized construction techniques and materials designed to eliminate transmission of sound.

From August through October 2016, a team of carpenters implemented the plan and succeeded in soundproofing the Chrysalis New Music Studio. Stepping into the studio from the streets of San Francisco, you’re immediately surrounded by the serenity of the environment. Once inside, it’s easy to make the transition from commotion to calm concentration. It’s truly the sanctuary we’d envisioned, and we look forward to years of exploration, practice, rehearsals, and performances ahead.

In order to finance this costly renovation, we launched a Kickstarter Campaign, “Support the Evolution of Acoustic Music.” Opening with a compelling video created by Rob Thomas of SponsoredFilms.com, the campaign substantiated the Chrysalis Foundation’s history and accomplishments, then went on to explain the need for soundproofing in order to save the CNMS. During the next six weeks (November 29, 2016–January 15, 2017), 67 backers donated $36,356 to successfully fund the project. We were deeply gratified by this triumphant first attempt at crowdfunding, and plan to build on the experience in the future. (See Kickstarter Article.)

Cris modified the String Winder in 2016, introducing improvements designed to simplify operator tasks and reduce machine maintenance. After that, he returned to the studio and began composing a new piece for Just Keys entitled Twilight: A Tribute to Ambisonance. Cris wrote this piece to demonstrate the potential of just intonation with respect to consonance, dissonance, and a fascinating dimension in between that he calls ‘ambisonance’. Twilight is about expanding perception of this zone of auditory experience and composing music beyond the consonance/dissonance dichotomy. By basing the work on the familiar sound of the piano, Twilight will be optimally accessible for audiences, offering them a bridge into the world of just intonation. He completed the piece in June of 2018.

Intent upon improving all the instruments to their fullest potential, Cris spent several months in 2018 modifying the Glassdance. He redesigned and remachined the aluminum glass stems and stem components so that these parts are now more efficient and readily accessible to facilitate maintenance. A fortunate side effect to these improvements is that the glasses now rotate more steadily and evenly, making them easier to play.

In August 2018, we received a generous grant that enabled us to purchase a Precision Matthews lathe for the Chrysalis Foundation workshop. This important machine greatly expands Cris’ ability to make custom parts for the instruments. To complete this eventful year, I wrote and published Chrysalis Foundation Travelogue.

From January through August 2019, Cris returned to the shop for another ambitious rebuild: Diamond Marimba I. Here’s some background to better understand the evolution of this instrument. In 1978, Cris built his first Diamond Marimba out of a rare tropical hardwood from Brazil called pernambuco. For centuries, pernambuco has been used to make the finest cello and violin bows. Eleven years later, having developed an ingenious new mounting system for both bars and resonators, Cris built Diamond Marimba II, this time using Honduras rosewood.

After 40 years, the original Diamond Marimba was in need of renovation to insure its survival. Cris took the priceless and irreplaceable pernambuco bars from this instrument and mounted them atop a new stand, terraced platform, and resonators, all of which he built to replicate the definitive design of Diamond Marimba II. The new Diamond Marimba I now has the structural stability of Diamond Marimba II, a perfect setting for the original pernambuco bars that are in all respects comparable to high-quality Honduras rosewood bars.

In the Fall of 2019, Cris compiled an Instrument Construction Archive, which currently — January 2025 — consisting of 8 three-ring binders, 17 comprehensive Manuals in the foundation library, and 64 Tools and Parts Boxes in the foundation shop. He also prepared PDF files of all this for the website.

During the first five months of 2020, Cris focused all his technological skills on updating the Chrysalis Foundation website for optimal mobile phone access. The new website launched in May 2020, and is now completely up to date.

Also during April and May of 2020, Cris designed and installed a state-of-the-art video studio at the Potrero Hill Music School to enable me to teach virtual lessons during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Cris returned to the studio in June to prepare for a professional videotaping of Twilight. The session took place on June 14th, with Ian Montgomery of Pre-Future LLC as the videographer and Cris as the recording engineer. We hired sound engineer Andy Greenberg of One Union Recording Studios to edit the recording. On August 8, 2020, we uploaded the completed video of Twilight to our YouTube site. This piece is a testament to the fact that complex harmonic progressions are possible in Just Intonation, and it stands as a singular exploration into ambisonance.

Finally, with the modernized website completed, the pandemic music studio built, and Twilight recorded, Cris was free to turn to a long-awaited project: his first composition for rebuilt Chrysalis I and new Chrysalis II. He enthusiastically delved into this endeavor, spending months training himself to play and hear the new instruments. During this time, he was surprised to discover that the tuning of Chrysalis II was not as stable as he had expected it to be. After careful examination, he realized that the Delrin nuts and Lexan shields would require modification in order to ensure tuning stability. He spent several weeks in the shop modifying the nuts and shields, then returned to the studio to install and test the adapted parts. After extensive playing, he can now verify that his modifications were successful. Chrysalis II holds its tuning admirably.

Cris dedicated the final weeks of 2020 to replacing the buttons that cover the machine screw holes in the soundboards of both Chrysalises. The original buttons, made of cherry wood, were beginning to crack, so, using the lathe, Cris machined new buttons out of aluminum. He carefully shaped and polished these, then expertly sprayed them to create a matte finish indistinguishable from the wooden buttons. (See Building New Chrysalis II for photographic documentation of both these major instrument improvements.)

Throughout 2021, Cris spent his days at the Chrysalis New Music Studio, practicing and composing for Chrysalis II. During this time, he also continued to work on a project he started more than ten years ago called the Instrument Construction Archive. Currently — January 2025 — the archive consists of 8 three-ring binders, 17 manuals, and 64 tools and parts boxes. It will be an invaluable resource to future caretakers and players of the instruments.

In November 2021, we learned that the Chrysalis New Music Studio building would be put on the market in early 2022. Despite our efforts, the Chrysalis Foundation was unable to finance its purchase. So, after 20 productive years in our beautiful studio, we turned our energies toward finding a new space to safely house all the contents of the CNMS, including recording equipment, furniture, and, of course, the precious instruments. We devoted the first four months of 2022 to moving. The instruments are now housed in a secure environment where Cris and other musicians still have access to them for playing and composing.

We accepted an invitation from MicroFest Records in Los Angeles to include two volumes of Cris’ music in their catalogue. Volume I, called Ambisonance, will be a compilation of works recorded during both Chrysalis Foundation Internship Programs, as well as one earlier recording by Cris. Volume II will be a rare release of Cris performing Song of Myself: Intoned Poems of Walt Whitman, recorded in 1980. After signing the contract, we spent many months with graphic designer Juliana Gallin creating the cover, label, and 40-page booklet for Volume I. Cris traveled to Los Angeles in September 2021 for a final mastering session with John Schneider, co-founder of MicroFest Records and co-producer of this album with Heidi Forster, and Scott Fraser, recording editor. The CD is currently under production, and is slated for hardcopy and digital release in August of 2022.

December 2022: Chrysalis Foundation 40th Anniversary celebration event, TBD.

2023 and beyond: In addition to the release of MicroFest Volume II, we look forward to the publication of an enhanced second edition of Musical Mathematics.

All of us at the Chrysalis Foundation have been striving to fulfill three main goals: musical creation, education, and presentation. Prospects for the future are bright. Cris continues to compose original music of profound significance. Distribution of Musical Mathematics is reaching an ever-increasing audience of students and musical adventurers. We eagerly anticipate the release of two volumes of Cris Forster’s music by MicroFest Records.

Please join us in supporting the evolution of acoustic music.

With sincere appreciation,

Heidi Forster, President
San Francisco, California
July, 2022