Tonality
Tonality is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit vocal ensemble producing social-justice-themed concerts, albums, and collaborations for concert audiences, institutional presenters, media partners, donors, and underrepresented high-school students through its choral education program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tonality does
Tonality is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit vocal ensemble founded in 2016 by Alexander Lloyd Blake. It produces choral concerts, recorded albums, and performance collaborations focused on social-justice themes such as gun violence, homelessness, refugees, climate change, mental health, women’s rights, and democratic rights. Its audience and stakeholder base includes concert attendees, donors, universities, arts organizations, media and entertainment partners, and underrepresented high-school students served through the Tonality Scholars Choral Education Program.
The organization’s core product is human vocal performance rather than a technology platform. Its disclosed offerings include live concert performances, albums such as America Will Be, Sing About It, Treat a Stranger Right, and Songs of Remembering, and a youth choral education program. The input does not indicate proprietary software, APIs, integrations, or AI capability; delivery depends on curated vocal talent, repertoire development, live venues, music production, and collaborations with artists, composers, institutions, and media projects.
Tonality monetizes through a mixed nonprofit arts model: concert ticket sales through platforms including Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and Humanitix; individual one-time and recurring donations, including a $10/month Tenfold for Tonality program; foundation and government grants from bodies such as the California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Arts & Culture, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; and corporate sponsorships. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, with live performances, institutional bookings, media appearances, social platforms, streaming distribution, press coverage, and earned visibility from GRAMMY recognition and high-profile collaborations.
Tonality firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tonality
- Legal name
- Tonality
- Website
- https://ourtonality.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tonality is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit vocal ensemble producing social-justice-themed concerts, albums, and collaborations for concert audiences, institutional presenters, media partners, donors, and underrepresented high-school students through its choral education program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tonality industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Choral Music
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Sound Recording Studios (51224), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)
- SIC
- Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC), Arranging & Orchestration (MPAIAHAG)
Keywords
Where Tonality is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tonality business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Concert Ticket Sales: The ensemble sells tickets to live concert performances through various platforms including Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and Humanitix. Concerts are offered at various price points including pay-what-you-can options.
- Individual Donations: Tonality accepts individual donations through its website and various fundraising campaigns including the 'Tenfold for Tonality' monthly giving program and the 'Power of Possibility' year-end campaign.
- Foundation and Government Grants: Season grants from California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Arts & Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and other foundations support the organization's operations and programs.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support at various tiers including sustainers, sponsors, contributors, supporters, builders, and friends levels.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Concert tickets with various price points |
| Subscription | Monthly | Tenfold for Tonality monthly giving program |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | One-time and recurring donations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Tonality product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tonality is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit vocal ensemble that delivers live themed choral concerts addressing social justice issues, produces and distributes recorded choral albums, and runs the Tonality Scholars Choral Education Program for underrepresented high school youth in the Los Angeles area. The ensemble consists of 18 vocalists representing diverse cultures and ethnicities, performing at major U.S. concert venues, universities, and festivals.
Product overview
Tonality is a performing arts organization offering live concert performances and recorded albums. Their core offering consists of themed choral concerts addressing social justice issues, album recordings, and the Tonality Scholars Choral Education Program for youth development. The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit vocal ensemble.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Concert Performances Live choral performances by an 18-member vocal ensemble addressing social justice themes including gun violence, homelessness, refugees, climate change, mental health, women's rights, and exercising democratic rights. Performed at major U.S. venues including Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Wallis, UCLA Royce Hall, universities, and festivals. Sold via Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, Humanitix, with pay-what-you-can options.
- Recorded Albums Recorded choral music albums including 'Sing About It' (2019), 'America Will Be' (2021), 'Treat a Stranger Right' (2021), and 'Songs of Remembering'. Distributed on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube for on-demand streaming. The 2024 GRAMMY-winning 'So She Howls' collaboration with Carla Patullo and Scorchio Quartet features twelve Tonality vocalists.
- Tonality Scholars Choral Education Program Youth choral education program nurturing talents of underrepresented high school students in the Los Angeles area, providing choral skills training and performance opportunities. Managed by Emily LaSalle and supported by the California Arts Council Impact Project Grant.
Quantifiable outcome
- Won 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tonality
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tonality technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tonality partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Carla PatulloflagshipItalian-American composer whose album 'So She Howls' featuring twelve Tonality vocalists won the 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album. The album is an autobiographical journey through grief and adventure.
- Hulu / The Other Black GirlflagshipTonality vocals feature prominently in every episode of Hulu's 'The Other Black Girl' series. The collaboration involved recording at Sunset Sound studio with composer EmmoLei Sankofa. Alexander Lloyd Blake also served as vocal arranger for the project.
- EmmoLei SankofaflagshipBlack female composer who led the soundtrack for 'The Other Black Girl' Hulu series. Collaborated with Tonality on vocal recordings for the series.
- BjörkflagshipTonality served as the opening act for Björk's Cornucopia tour, performing five shows throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco in January-February 2022. The ensemble performed 'New Collective Consciousness' from their 'America Will Be' album, composed and arranged by Joseph Trapanese.
- Kelly ClarksonflagshipFlash mob performances with Kelly Clarkson went viral on social media in June 2023, amassing tens of millions of views. Kelly Clarkson described Tonality as 'one of the most unique and powerful choirs in the country.'
- TiestocorePerformance collaboration with world-renowned DJ Tiesto.
- Scorchio QuartetflagshipPerformed alongside Carla Patullo and twelve Tonality vocalists on the GRAMMY-winning album 'So She Howls'.
- Kronos QuartetflagshipCollaboration on 'At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You' with composer Michael Abels and poet Nikky Finney. A powerful new work for string quartet, narrator, and chorus exploring race relations, social justice, and civil rights.
- Michael AbelsflagshipComposer for Jordan Peele films 'Us' and 'Get Out' who composed 'At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You' featuring Tonality, Kronos Quartet, and Phoenix Chorale.
- Nikky FinneyflagshipNational Book Award-winning poet whose text inspired 'At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You', exploring race relations and civil rights.
- UCLA Herb Alpert School of MusiccorePerformance at UCLA Royce Hall for Music and Justice Concert featuring Dave Brubeck's 'The Gates of Justice'. Presented by Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at UCLA.
- Los Angeles PhilharmoniccoreFeatured in LA Phil's Noon to Midnight Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performing music from the 'America Will Be' album.
- Scott Hoying (Pentatonix)coreRecorded GRAMMY-nominated arrangement of 'Rose Without the Thorns' with Scott Hoying of Pentatonix.
- Tehillah AlphonsocoreArranger whose GRAMMY-nominated arrangement of 'A Change is Gonna Come' was performed by Tonality. Tonality accompanied Tehillah at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
- Black Lives Matter Grassroots LAcorePartner organization featured at concerts to share perspectives and initiatives on criminal justice reform.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Tonality competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VOCES8: British vocal ensemble with a strong educational outreach program and international touring presence. Directly comparable in combining concert performance, recorded albums, and choral education as core activities.
- Phoenix Chorale: GRAMMY-winning professional chamber choir that has collaborated directly with Tonality on 'At War With Ourselves.' Comparable as a similarly sized, award-credentialed professional vocal ensemble producing recorded choral works.
- Kronos Quartet: GRAMMY-winning string quartet known for socially engaged contemporary programming and cross-genre collaborations. Has directly collaborated with Tonality on 'At War With Ourselves' and shares the model of using a small ensemble to address social issues.
- Sweet Honey in the Rock: Long-running African American female a cappella ensemble built around social justice, civil rights, and community themes. The closest analog to Tonality in mission-driven vocal performance and repertoire focus.
- Roomful of Teeth: GRAMMY-winning vocal ensemble based at Williams College that pushes the boundaries of choral music through contemporary and experimental works. Comparable to Tonality in cross-genre vocal innovation and recorded/award-winning output.
- Anonymous 4: Small, critically acclaimed female vocal quartet with an extensive recorded catalog and touring history. Comparable to Tonality in small-ensemble, album-driven business model and concert-led revenue.
- Chanticleer: Renowned San Francisco-based professional vocal ensemble specializing in choral performance across genres. Directly comparable to Tonality as a self-conducted vocal ensemble of similar scale producing recorded albums and touring nationally.
Broad incumbents
- Los Angeles Philharmonic: Major orchestral institution that has featured Tonality in its Noon to Midnight Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Comparable as a Los Angeles performing-arts institution sharing the same venue ecosystem and competing for the same high-level donor base.
Regional players
- LA Master Chorale: Los Angeles-based professional chorus and resident company at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Comparable as a regionally anchored LA choral ensemble performing at the same premier venues and competing for similar donor and grant pools.
Emerging players
- Pentatonix: A cappella group that has crossed into mainstream pop success via recordings and media appearances. Comparable as a contemporary vocal ensemble that has leveraged social media virality into commercial reach, similar to Tonality's Kelly Clarkson moment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tonality social profiles
Digital presenceTonality financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tonality leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Tonality funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tonality M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tonality
What does Tonality do?
Tonality is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit vocal ensemble that delivers live themed choral concerts addressing social justice issues, produces and distributes recorded choral albums, and runs the Tonality Scholars Choral Education Program for underrepresented high school youth in the Los Angeles area. The ensemble consists of 18 vocalists representing diverse cultures and ethnicities, performing at major U.S. concert venues, universities, and festivals.
Is Tonality a public or private company?
Tonality is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Tonality founded?
Tonality was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tonality based?
Tonality is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tonality make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Concert Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, foundation and Government Grants and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Tonality's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VOCES8, Phoenix Chorale, Kronos Quartet, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Roomful of Teeth, Anonymous 4 and Chanticleer. Los Angeles Philharmonic is listed as a broad incumbent. LA Master Chorale is listed as a regional player. Pentatonix is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tonality have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tonality.
What industry is Tonality in?
Tonality's product category is Performing Arts / Choral Music. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAC, Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir), with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 71113 and its SIC code is 3652.