A NEW jazz song written all about our city will be performed live for the first time at the opening of the Famous Spiegel Garden in the Old Parliament House Rose Garden on Saturday night.

The song, “Smack Bang in the Middle,” was written by local singers Karen Strahan and Jill Walsh as a joint contribution to the Canberra Centenary.

“We couldn’t recall any songs written about Canberra in our lifetime and so we thought, ‘Why not’?” Karen says. “If you can’t get a great new song together in our Centenary year, it will probably never happen.”

She says the song is a bit tongue-in-cheek and contains a hook the songwriters hope “will have everyone singing along throughout 2013.”

“It’s all a lot of fun, we start with the early history of the search for the capital’s location and move forward to the Canberra of today, complete with its roundabouts and chilly winters.”

The song was recorded last year by dozens of Canberran singers and musicians and has already been previewed on several local radio stations ahead of the launch on Saturday night, according to Jill Walsh.

“We are thrilled to be able to contribute a dollar from each of the CDs sold to the Centenary charity, Dollars for Dili, so we hope everyone can get behind both the song and a great cause,” she says.

“Everyone’s invited, just come down to the Senate Rose Gardens at 6pm on Saturday. We’ll have 30 musicians and vocalists plus a big surprise in store.

“Dance schools right across Canberra are madly rehearsing for the flash mob, with choreography by Jordan Kelly. It’ll all be filmed and put onto YouTube. It’s going to be big!”

Copies of Smack Bang in the Middle can be purchased from Songland Records in Coleman Court, Weston Creek, on iTunes and at the launch on Saturday night. For further outlets, visit www.smackbanginthemiddle.com.au.