Will Todd, composer

Who or what are the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer?

Singing in church choir at St Oswald’s Church in Durham, NE England. Learning violin with Durham County Music Service. My mum and dad who listened to a wide range of music from choral to opera to symphonies to jazz and my sisters who were into rock and chart music. I had some great music teachers and David Higgins, director of music at St Oswald’s was my first composition teacher. Some of my favourite listening was Sibelius and Beethoven symphonies, jazz records, The Who, Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story and La Boheme by Puccini. Quite eclectic!

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

Its tough being an ‘independent’ artist and you have to make your own way a lot of the time. So you end up as not only a composer and performer but often a manger/planner/producer and fundraiser! From a composing perspective, the most challenging project was my 20022 opera Migrations with Welsh National Opera. It was a fantastic piece to work on but it had som many strands that is was a huge challenge to keep it all flowing together!

What are the special challenges/pleasures of working on a commissioned piece?

I love the first briefing with the commissioners where we work out what the piece needs to be about and what the feel should be eg; celebratory, reflective, joyous, memorial etc. That early connection with them is very important part of the process. Often I hear people talking about loved ones they have lost or things that ,can a great deal to them and that’s a huge privilege (and a responsibility!)

What are the special challenges/pleasures of working with particular musicians, singers, ensembles or orchestras?

Working with professional musicians is fantastic as the technical ability is very high. The downside is that you are always under time pressure. I love working with amateur performers because we tend to have more time to understand each other and the ‘purpose’ of what and why we are doing the music.

Of which works are you most proud?

Of my well known pieces probably Mass in Blue or Passion Music – of lesser known pieces probably my Christmas Carol opera and my Requiem for voices and electric guitar.

How would you characterise your compositional language?

Tonal with many influences! I think I have a ‘traditional’ language in the sense that I still think in terms of ‘harmony and counterpoint’

How do you work?

Early in the day – at the piano, singing and improvising at the piano and sketching on manuscript. Then I move the computer to flesh things out and create neat scores.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

To feel good about a piece you create or perform. Often this is because the performers and or audience have had a profound/joyous/positive experience.

What advice would you give to young/aspiring composers?

Try to make things you believe in and make music for communities not just for ‘fame’ or wider acclaim (although these are nice things of course!). Express the truth as you see it, both musically and spiritually.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

Keep performing and writing and connecting. It’s a hard road to be honest. Fundamentally there are funding issues especially at the younger end of the classical performer/composer world. Only by making people value music can we ask them to pay for it.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about but you think we should be?

The cheapness of music consumerism. People basically don’t seem to expect to pay for recorded music any more and that’s a BIG problem.

What next – where would you like to be in 10 years?

In a world where we are making genuine improvements in our relationship with nature and the planet.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Not worrying about the environment and the future for our descendants.

What is your most treasured possession?

My Yamaha GB1 grand piano

What do you enjoy doing most?

Reading (novels)

What is your present state of mind?

Mixed.

You can hear me talking about and introducing THE PROMISE here:

Composer