Will Todd
Will Todd was born in Durham in 1970. He received an Honours degree in Music from the University of Bristol in 1991 and an MMUS in 1993. Will met Ben Dunwell, librettist, at Bristol University and began their collaboration at that time. Their first Genesis Commission was to write the choral work Among Angels.
This piece was premiered in front of an invited audience in St Wolfgang, Austria, on Sunday, 19 March 2006 and performed by The Sixteen under their founder and conductor, Harry Christophers at the 50th birthday celebrations of Genesis Founder and Chairman, John Studzinski. The choir sang in front of Pacher’s famous St Wolfgang Altar Piece which was opened for the audience to display its sixteen angels. The piece was performed again in London in June 2006 by The Sixteen and Harry Christophers at the St Yeghiche Church.
The Genesis Foundation commissioned Will Todd (and Ben Dunwell) to be part of the Padre Pio Project. He was one of the composers to set the Saint Pio Prayer, Stay with me Lord, premiered by The Sixteen at Westminster Cathedral on 3 June 2008. This piece, along with settings by James MacMillan and Roxanna Panufnik, was recorded and released on a disc entitled, Padre Pio Prayer.
To learn more about this project, please visit The Sixteen’s partner page.
In 2012, Will Todd was commissioned to write a new choral work for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on 5 June. The Call of Wisdom was premiered in the presence of The Queen by The Diamond Choir – a specially-formed choir made up of young singers aged 10-13 from all over the UK – alongside the Choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Chapel Royal. Conducted by St Paul’s Director of Music, Andrew Carwood, this unique performance was broadcast live in the UK.
With assistance from the Genesis Foundation, this landmark piece has a recorded legacy in a release on Signum Classics. The CD, released on 4 June 2012, includes the premiere recording of ‘The Call of Wisdom’ performed by award-winning choir, Tenebrae, and the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nigel Short and also features previous Genesis Foundation commissions, the critically-acclaimed ‘Among Angels’ (2006) and ‘Stay with me, Lord’ (2008), alongside other key choral works from Will Todd.
“Will’s an ambassador for everything the Genesis Foundation represents, a true partner who has an extraordinary ability to make intricate spiritual elements accessible.”
– John Studzinski
