The premiere of Will Todd's SIGNUM MAGNUM is being given by Schola Cantorum in Sint-Janskathedraal 's-Hertogenbosch on November 23rd 2023. Entrance is free.
Written for Schola Cantorum van de Kathedrale Basiliek van Sint-Jan, Signum Magnum is an opulent setting for youth singers, mixed choir and organ.
2024 marks 750 years since choral music was first performed in Saint John’s Cathedral of ’s-Hertogenbosch. A document from the year 1274 states that a wealthy inhabitant of 's-Hertogenbosch, Willem van Gent (William of Ghent), donated money to the local parish school and requested that a boys' choir sing during the vigil of Wilhelmus (William) every year. In all probability, there had been singing in the cathedral before 1274 (the build of the original cathedral started around 1220) but there is no irrefutable evidence of this. To celebrate the 750th anniversary, the board of Saint John's Cathedral and Stichting Vrienden van de Schola Cantorum van de Kathedrale Basiliek van Sint-Jan commissioned Will Todd to write a setting of the psalm text Signum magnum. This connects the new music to a stained glass window designed for the cathedral’s north transept entitled ‘The Woman and the Dragon’ by glazier Marius de Leeuw, which was commissioned in 1966 and inspired by the same text.
Signum Magnum was first performed in November 2023, directed by Jeroen Felix and accompanied by organist Véronique van den Engh. Will Todd writes ‘The music should be in turn ecstatic and heartfelt, contrasting with the plainsong moments.’