Veteran choirmaster Gary Smith tells arts editor HELEN MUSA that most people can sing, and “I’ve only met three or four people over 20 years who have serious irreparable pitch problems”.

IF the number of pre-Christmas choral concerts around Canberra is any indication, choirs are on the up and up everywhere, and veteran choirmaster Gary Smith is determined to bring them together. 

He’s the founder of the online hub Choir Central and, as an old chorister myself from way back, I caught up with him recently at his Georges River home on the edge of Sydney, which he shares with his wife, ABC science journalist and singer Anna Salleh.

With a membership of already 120, Choir Central provides a central meeting point to access voice teachers, choirs, workshops and tours that feeds the universal love of community singing.

In 2008, Smith and a team of supporters built the website A cappella Central, but changed the branding in 2017 to make it more inclusive. Re-launched in 2021, there’s now an annual subscription of $33.

Among his Canberra members are Australian Rugby Choir, Brindabella Chorus, Canberra Chordsmen, Canberra Qwire, The Cyrenes, Lady’s Mantle, Pop Up Choir, Rushing Waters, Strange Weather Gospel Choir and The Resonants, but he’d like more. 

Smith has pretty well devoted his life to choirs and he knows most of their cheekier names, like the OK Chorale, The Bridge on the River and his own choir, The Cleftomaniacs.

Raised in Sydney’s Chippendale, there’s a hint of showbiz though forbears such as early 20th century screen identity Charlotte Beaumont and famous “Dr Who” TV star Delore Whiteman, but otherwise Smith grew up in an unmusical family, teaching himself to play piano when his dad, a caretaker at Alexandria Town Hall, had access to a piano on weekends.

Then at Enmore Boys High School he fell under the influence of music teacher, David Russell, who became musical director for St Mary’s Cathedral Choir. 

At 16, Smith was hooked. He sang with them and remembers playing timpani for a band assembled by John de Luca to mark the arrival of Pope Paul VI in 1970. He would later sing bass in Richard Gill’s Conservatorium Singers and the Singers of St Laurence with Neil McEwen.

After school, Smith worked as a council gardener, but went back to do his HSC then took a music-teaching degree at Sydney Conservatorium, studying piano and jazz, although his inclination was always more to the classical. 

“I always thought singing in choirs was special,” he says. “I found that if I trained them, members of the public can be raised up to quite a high-level in singing.

“Every time someone comes along and sits there for a couple of hours, they’ll say, ‘that was fantastic, I really want to join’. 

“I found that my calling in life was to bring music to ordinary members of the public who would never have that experience otherwise.

“My experience is that most people can sing, and I’ve only met three or four people over 20 years who have serious irreparable pitch problems.”

His expertise is in accessible community singing repertoire, meaning that most of his choristers don’t read music so he has a Dropbox account that archives sheet music and sound files for all singers and each part – he prepares all that.

Choir Central can be accessed at choircentral.com.au