onya is the name adopted by Chris Fournier for an electronic/progressive rock musical project that was active from 1991 to 2000. He is the composer, producer, and performer of this body of work.

Chris took up bass guitar and began taking lessons while he was a freshman in high school. At that point, he learned to read music and was then able to learn keyboards, guitar, and drums on his own. He and his brother Tone, an accomplished drummer, jammed together in several high school bands playing mostly Rush and Black Sabbath covers. The bass player/drummer interaction between Chris and Tone gave Chris some valuable percussive insights which proved helpful in the development of his drum programming skills.

After his graduation in 1981 from Portland, Maine’s Cheverus High School, Chris began making a living playing Top 40 dance music as a bassist and keyboardist. This paid the bills for about six years, after which the need for a change of direction became impossible to ignore. As a dedicated progressive rock fan, playing dance music was a musical dead-end for Chris. Towards the end of this period, he bought a 4-track recorder and began composing some primitive progressive rock.

Chris then took on the task of getting a full education in order to buy some musical freedom. In the next six years, he earned a degree in electronics from the Southern Maine Technical College and a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maine. While in school, he continually upgraded his musical setup to the point where he controlled several keyboards, effects, drums, and a light show from his computer. His compositional skills grew considerably during this time as well. During his junior year at UM, he recorded his first CD, Wanderers of the Neverending Night, for the Kinesis (then Kinetic Discs) label. His brother Phil contributed vocals on four of the tracks. During Chris’ senior year, he recorded his second work, Soul Travels, for Kinesis.

Upon graduation in 1993, Chris moved to Dallas, Texas and continued to release new CDs with Kinesis, including In Flux, Earth Shaper, and Perfect Cosmological Principle. With Kinesis winding down its label operations, Chris continued with the sixth Fonya release, Upper Level Open Space, on Musea. Chris has also contributed tracks to Mellow Records’ Camel tribute, Harbour of Joy, their Gentle Giant tribute, Giant for a Life, and their tribute to Italian progressive rock of the 70’s, Zarathustra’s Revenge. The last work by Fonya is a body of vocal progressive rock called Sunset Cliffs, released on Chris’ own RedShift label.

Though the Fonya project is complete, look for more music from Chris in the future. He’s created a work in the techno/trance genre under the Spaceman C pseudonym that will be released sometime in the future. Other musical projects are in the works as well, including a new progressive rock outfit with acoustic drums from Chris, and some work in previously unrelated sonic genres. Chris’ main musical influences include Eddie Jobson, early Genesis, Happy the Man, Tangerine Dream, PFM, Camel, Craft, and Kenso. Though these influences play a part, they are not the model for his music. His style combines electronic music, fusion, progressive rock, and romantic-era symphonic music to create a rich, multi-textured, and very original sound. Give it a listen and decide for yourself!

Those wishing to reach Chris may do so at or visit the Fonya website at www.fonya.com.