In an era where classical and contemporary music genres increasingly cross-pollinate, few international collaborations have achieved the artistic synergy, scale, and global reach of the partnership between acclaimed British composer Will Todd and Taiwan’s prestigious Soochow University Alumni Chorus. Over a dynamic three-year period, this cross-cultural alliance has moved far beyond a standard guest-artist booking. It has evolved into a deeply integrated creative partnership, yielding critically acclaimed performances, extensive international tours, high-profile commercial recordings, and a brand-new, major addition to the global choral repertoire: The Promise.
Regarded by Todd as his third major jazz oratorio—succeeding the international phenomena Mass in Blue (2003) and Passion Music (2018)—The Promise is a 40-minute, multi-movement masterpiece conceived specifically for Advent and Christmas. Commissioned entirely by the Soochow University Alumni Chorus, the work bridges traditional sacred texts with driving, syncopated jazz grooves, lyrical balladry, and a vibrant soprano solo line.
Following successful premiere performances across Taiwan and Japan, the partnership is now set to make a triumphant return to the United Kingdom. In January 2027, the Soochow University Alumni Chorus will embark on a historic UK tour, culminating in a prestigious premiere at London’s iconic St Martin-in-the-Fields under the baton of conductor Chie-Fen Weng. Concurrently, a commercial recording of The Promise, performed alongside St Martin’s Voices, is scheduled for release via Signum Records, cementing the work’s place in the international choral canon.
Detailed Chronology: A Three-Year Transnational Symphony
The genesis of this landmark collaboration dates back to 2024, when the Soochow University Alumni Chorus issued an ambitious invitation to Will Todd. The choir sought to perform his celebrated jazz choral work, Mass in Blue, at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. What followed was a masterclass in international artistic exchange, marked by meticulous preparation, deep mutual respect, and an extraordinary public reception.
Phase One: The 2024 Taipei Triumph and First Encounters
In 2024, Todd traveled to Taiwan for the first time to oversee and participate in the staging of Mass in Blue. Performed alongside a cadre of guest jazz musicians at Taipei’s National Concert Hall, the concert was a watershed moment. The venue was packed to capacity, drawing nearly 2,000 enthusiastic concertgoers.
The program was carefully curated to highlight both Western masterworks and the vibrant landscape of contemporary Taiwanese choral composition. Alongside Todd’s jazz-infused writing, the audience experienced works by notable Taiwanese composers such as Weng Ching-hsi, Tianhao Ran, Shen-Hsien Liu, and Yu Chung-yuan. These pieces skillfully bridged traditional Chinese folk music elements with lyrical Western harmonic structures, creating a compelling dialogue between Eastern and Western musical sensibilities.
During this inaugural visit, Todd also visited Soochow University to lead an intensive masterclass for young, emerging composers. Reflecting on the experience, Todd noted the palpable enthusiasm of the students, whose emerging styles frequently blended pop and classical idioms with a profound passion for choral performance.
Phase Two: Commissioning The Promise and Deepening Collaboration
Impressed by the artistic caliber, dedication, and organizational prowess of the Soochow University Alumni Chorus, Todd was subsequently commissioned to write a brand-new, large-scale work of comparable magnitude. The ensemble granted the composer complete artistic freedom regarding the theme and libretto—a rare and liberating luxury in the world of commissioned music.
Recognizing the logistical and artistic challenges of bringing a complex, genre-blending work to life across continents, Todd and the choir implemented a rigorous development process. This began with an early developmental workshop in London, followed four months later by a full week of intensive rehearsals in Taiwan prior to the premiere.
This deep preparatory phase allowed both composer and performers to iron out technical difficulties, refine nuances, and develop a profound interpretive connection. For Todd, this level of early, immersive collaboration proved invaluable, ensuring that the commissioning choir was deeply anchored in the musical fabric of the piece from its inception.
Phase Three: Premieres, Touring, and the Genesis of The Promise
The resulting composition, The Promise, crystallized Todd’s long-held ambition to write a Christmas-themed oratorio. Drawing upon a rich wealth of Advent and Christmas literature, Todd structured the piece into ten cohesive movements. The architectural design of the oratorio mirrors his earlier large-scale works, utilizing a thematic reprise in the tenth movement that recalls material from the seventh.
The work’s diverse textual foundation encompasses:
The traditional Advent Responsory I look from afar
Adam Lay Y bounden
The Angel Gabriel
Selected verses from the Magnificat
A Rose Has Sprung Up
Prophetic passages from Isaiah (“The people who walked in darkness…”)
The Latin liturgical texts O Oriens and Conditor Alme Siderum
An original poem by the composer titled The Promise
Scored for a contemporary rhythm section comprising piano, bass, drums, and saxophone, alongside a second keyboard utilizing both traditional and electric organ patches, the orchestration mirrors the high-energy drive of Mass in Blue. At its emotional and sonic core is a soaring soprano solo, supported by a choral writing style that places the ensemble at the absolute center of the work’s dramatic impact.
The Soochow University Alumni Chorus delivered the world premiere of The Promise in December 2025 at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. They subsequently repeated the performance in January 2026 at the National Concert Hall in Taipei—a performance now documented and accessible to global audiences via YouTube. Building on this momentum, the ensemble took the work on an extensive tour of Japan during the summer of 2026, further cementing its international appeal.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Thriving Choral Ecosystem of Taiwan
To fully understand the success of this collaboration, one must examine the robust and flourishing choral infrastructure of Taiwan. Far from being a niche pursuit, choral music occupies a vibrant space within Taiwan’s cultural mainstream, characterized by world-class performance venues, rigorous university-level training programs, and an active community of accomplished contemporary composers.
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| TAIWANESE CHORAL ECOSYSTEM |
+----------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Infrastructure & Training | • Top-tier university programs|
| | • Specialized conducting & |
| | vocal performance tracks |
+----------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Major Venues | • National Concert Hall |
| | (Taipei) |
| | • National Kaohsiung Center |
| | for the Arts (Kaohsiung) |
+----------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Repertoire Fusion | • Western classical harmonic |
| | structures |
| | • Chinese folk traditions |
| | • Contemporary Taiwanese |
| | texts and compositions |
+----------------------------------+------------------------------+
Institutional Excellence and Academic Rigor
Taiwan boasts numerous top-tier choral conducting and vocal performance programs embedded within its leading universities. Institutions like Soochow University foster environments where technical precision meets stylistic versatility. Choirs across the country routinely perform demanding Western classical masterworks alongside innovative indigenous and contemporary compositions, creating performers who are equally at home with Renaissance polyphony, Romantic oratorios, and modern syncopated jazz idioms.
The Rise of Contemporary Taiwanese Composition
As demonstrated during Todd’s 2024 residency, Taiwanese contemporary composers are actively expanding the boundaries of the choral genre. By weaving lyrical Western harmonic elements with traditional Chinese folk motifs, and by setting poetry in both Mandarin and local dialects, composers such as Weng Ching-hsi, Tianhao Ran, Shen-Hsien Liu, and Yu Chung-yuan have created a distinctive national voice within the global choral tradition. This openness to cross-cultural innovation created an ideal environment for Will Todd’s jazz-classical fusion to take root and flourish.
Official Statements and Artistic Insights
Reflecting on the unique trajectory of The Promise and his experiences working across continents, composer Will Todd shared key insights into his creative philosophy and the practical realities of transnational artistic collaboration:
"Following on from the performance of Mass in Blue, the Soochow Chorus commissioned me to write a similar scale work leaving the theme and words up to me. I was thrilled as it was another opportunity to work with them and I knew I’d be getting an excellent performance. They were super committed to the process… It’s so wonderful when that can happen—it connects the commissioning choir more to the work and it definitely helps the composer!"
Regarding his decision to tackle the Christmas narrative through a jazz lens, Todd noted:
"I have wanted for a long time to write a Christmas-themed oratorio and this seemed like the perfect chance to explore this idea more fully. There is of course an abundance of wonderful Advent and Christmas texts and I wanted initially to set so many! In the end, the structure is 10 movements, where the 10th is a reprise of material from movement 7th, a concept I use both in Mass in Blue and my other extended jazz choral work, the Easter-themed Passion Music."
Future Outlook: The 2027 UK Tour and Commercial Recording Legacy
As the partnership transitions into its next major phase, the focus shifts toward the United Kingdom, where The Promise is poised to captivate British audiences and secure its place in the permanent international choral repertoire.
The January 2027 UK Tour
In January 2027, the Soochow University Alumni Chorus will travel to the UK for a series of high-profile engagements. The centerpiece of the tour will be the official UK premiere of The Promise, taking place at the historic church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London on January 15, 2027, followed by a subsequent performance in Cambridge on January 16, 2027.
For these landmark UK performances, the Taiwanese ensemble will collaborate with:
St Martin’s Chamber Choir
The Will Todd Ensemble
Soprano soloist Lorna James
Conductor Chie-Fen Weng
In a gesture of cultural reciprocity, the first half of the concert program will feature selections of the contemporary Taiwanese choral repertoire that so deeply impressed Todd during his visits to Taipei. This programming decision ensures that the tour remains a genuine two-way cultural exchange rather than a one-sided presentation.
Commercial Release via Signum Records
Parallel to the live performance schedule, the international footprint of Todd’s music is expanding through strategic recording partnerships. A brand-new commercial recording of The Promise, performed by St Martin’s Voices, is slated for release in October by Signum Records (Catalog No. SIGCD1040). This release will be paired with a fresh recording of Todd’s popular Jazz Carols, originally commissioned by St Martin-in-the-Fields in 2014.
Educational Outreach and Score Publication
To ensure long-term sustainability and widespread adoption of the work, Boosey & Hawkes will publish the official scores for The Promise, making them available to choirs and conductors worldwide. Furthermore, Todd has scheduled a series of educational workshops throughout the year—including sessions at the prestigious Leith Hill Festival and the Association of British Choral Directors conference in February 2027.
Through these workshops, commercial recordings, and international live performances, Will Todd and the Soochow University Alumni Chorus have not only demonstrated the boundless potential of cross-cultural musical collaboration but have also enriched the global choral landscape with a vibrant, enduring modern classic.
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