Biography
Todd McNeal is a widely-respected choral composer and skilled music educator based in Melbourne, Australia and Northamptonshire, UK.
His works have been performed by leading Australian choirs including the National Boys Choir of Australia, Junior Gondwana and ABC Choir of the Year The Birralee Blokes.
Todd’s music has featured at major venues and choral festivals across Australia and internationally and plays regularly on Australia’s leading art music station, ABC Classic FM. His three-piece work, Songs of the Sea & Sky, is published by Hal Leonard in the Henry Leck – Creating Artistry Series.
He has worked closely with a number of outstanding Australian writers including Queensland poet Mark Svendsen and award-winning author James Roy. He has had the privilege of setting work by the great Aboriginal poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal.
Lyrical, strong and expressive, his music is characterised by a delight in melody, a rich harmonic palette and skilful word-setting. Since 2010, all these elements have found their place in his growing body of high-quality choral works.
Todd trained in the UK at the University of York and Royal Northern College of Music. Early successes include the operas Virtual Reality, for National Youth Music Theatre and Inspector Otto and the Long-Haired Bicycle Maniac, winner of the English National Opera competition New Visions New Voices. His setting of Siegfried Sassoon’s poem Everyone Sang won the Wigmore Hall Songs from the Underground Competition.
Alongside his composing, Todd has worked as a music teacher in leading high schools in London, Sydney and Melbourne, specialising in the teaching of composition in the classroom and in choral directing.
For all enquiries, including free perusal scores, purchasing scores, commissioning new work or artistic collaborations, please email todd@toddmcnealmusic.com.