Tom Nunn has designed, built and performed with original musical instruments since 1976, having received a B.Mus. and M.A. in music composition from the University of Texas at Austin and S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, and post-graduate work at U.C. San Diego. His instruments typically utilize commonly available materials, are sculptural in appearance, utilize contact microphones for amplification, and are designed specifically for improvisation with elements of ambiguity, unpredictability and nonlinearity.
In addition to the nearly 100 instruments he has made, Tom has performed extensively throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years, as well as in other parts of the U.S., Canada and Europe, both as soloist and with other musicians. Tom has performed with the groups Rotodoti, Off Ramp, Stritch, Twine, Toax, Reel Change and Ghost In The House, and currently works with Axallto and RTD3.
He has appeared on a number of recordings, including his most recent solo CD, "Identity." In 1998, he completed writing and self-published Wisdom of The Impulse: on the nature of musical free improvisation, a book that examines various aspects of this illusive art and presents a theoretical foundation for creative listening, analysis and discussion. Tom has also written a number of articles about the use of experimental instruments and improvisation in publications such as Experimental Musical Instruments, Musicworks and Leonardo.