Will Todd
Encyclopedia
Will Todd is an English
classical composer
and pianist
.
, attended Durham School
and studied music at the University of Bristol
. He is an accomplished jazz
pianist and regularly performs with his trio
, and this played a large role in one of his most famous works, his Mass in Blue.
Mass in Blue (originally entitled Jazz Mass)was commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus and first performed at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in July 2003 with Will Todd at the piano. Will’s wife, Bethany Halliday, performed the soprano solo alongside the Blue Planet Orchestra and Hertfordshire Chorus,conducted by David Temple
.
His The Blackened Man won second prize in the International Verdi Opera Competition in 2002 and was later staged at the 2004 Buxton Festival
. The Screams of Kitty Genovese, a music theatre work, has been produced at the Boston Conservatory
and New York Musical Theatre Festival
. His oratorio
Saint Cuthbert, with a libretto by Ben Dunwell based on the life of the saint, has been performed and recorded by the Hallé Orchestra and Choir
under Christopher Austin
.
Among Angels was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation and was premiered by The Sixteen
in Salzburg. Written for WNO Max, Sweetness and Badness was performed in a tour during autumn 2006, and Whirlwind, commissioned by Streetwise Opera, was first performed at The Sage Gateshead.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
classical composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Biography
Todd was born in County DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, attended Durham School
Durham School
Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham....
and studied music at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. He is an accomplished jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist and regularly performs with his trio
Jazz trio
The term "piano trio" in jazz usually refers to a group comprising a pianist, a double bass player and a drummer. The pianist is usually considered the leader of these trios, and trios are usually named after their pianist...
, and this played a large role in one of his most famous works, his Mass in Blue.
Mass in Blue (originally entitled Jazz Mass)was commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus and first performed at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in July 2003 with Will Todd at the piano. Will’s wife, Bethany Halliday, performed the soprano solo alongside the Blue Planet Orchestra and Hertfordshire Chorus,conducted by David Temple
David Temple
David Temple is a British conductor and musical director of Crouch End Festival Chorus which he has conducted at the Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham...
.
His The Blackened Man won second prize in the International Verdi Opera Competition in 2002 and was later staged at the 2004 Buxton Festival
Buxton Festival
The Buxton Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music, and a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire in England since it began in July 1979.-History:...
. The Screams of Kitty Genovese, a music theatre work, has been produced at the Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
and New York Musical Theatre Festival
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Theatre Festival is an annual three-week fall Festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district...
. His oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Saint Cuthbert, with a libretto by Ben Dunwell based on the life of the saint, has been performed and recorded by the Hallé Orchestra and Choir
The Hallé
The Hallé is a symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra , supports a choir, youth choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasionally released recordings on Angel Records and EMI...
under Christopher Austin
Christopher Austin
Christopher Austin is a British conductor, and an arranger and orchestrator of film and television scores.Austin originally intended to become a composer...
.
Among Angels was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation and was premiered by The Sixteen
The Sixteen
The Sixteen are a choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers in 1979.The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century...
in Salzburg. Written for WNO Max, Sweetness and Badness was performed in a tour during autumn 2006, and Whirlwind, commissioned by Streetwise Opera, was first performed at The Sage Gateshead.
Works
- Winter Dances - orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
(1989) - Midwinter - CantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
for sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, chorus and orchestra (1992) - Saint Cuthbert - Oratorio for soprano, tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and baritone, chorus, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and orchestra (1995) - The Burning Road - Cantata for soprano and baritone, chorus and orchestra (1996)
- The Screams of Kitty GenoveseKitty GenoveseCatherine Susan "Kitty" Genovese , was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York on March 13, 1964....
- 12 actor-singers and pit ensemble (1999) - A Song of Creation - Cantata for choir, chamber choir, children's choir, soprano, tenor and bass soloists, organ and orchestra (2000)
- The Blackened Man - Opera with 7 roles, chorus and full orchestra or chamber ensemble (2001)
- Mass in Blue - soprano, chorus and jazz ensemble or trio (2003)
- Gala and Gloria - soprano, mezzo and baritone soloists, chorus, orchestra and brass band (2004)
- Among Angels - 16 part SATB with 2 harps (2006)
- Sweetness and Badness - Opera with 5 actor singers and small ensemble (2006)
- Whirlwind - Opera with 4 actor singers, mixed chorus, small ensemble and live sound score (2006)
- Let us be True - SATB, solo violin, piano, organ, percussion & strings. A setting of "Dover BeachDover Beach"Dover Beach" is a short lyric poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. It was first published in 1867 in the collection New Poems, but surviving notes indicate its composition may have begun as early as 1849...
" by Matthew ArnoldMatthew ArnoldMatthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
(2006) - You have seen the House Built - SATB choir and organ, commissioned by Chichester CathedralChichester CathedralThe Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
for their 900th anniversary (2008) - Requiem - soprano, electric guitar and chorus, commissioned by the Fairhaven SingersFairhaven Singers-Background:The Fairhaven Singers was founded in 1980, under the patronage of Lord Fairhaven of Anglesey Abbey, and is conducted by Ralph Woodward....
(2009) - Te Deum - solo soprano, young people's choir (up to 3 parts), SATB chorus and instrumental ensemble. Latin text with additional words by Ben Dunwell (2009)
- Clarinet Concerto - Jazz clarinet and orchestra, premiered by Emma Johnson (2009)