AT LEAST two people are behind remedying the scarcity of adult choirs in St George: Lyndal Tait and Stuart Davis.
Tait is a musician, teacher and composer with an interest in how music contributes to people's general wellbeing.
She has a bachelor of music in composition degree from UNSW and has been teaching piano and voice for the past 20 years. Tait has led choirs and taught in schools including Danebank and Arncliffe Public School, as well as directed adult choirs.
Her latest project is becoming the director of the new Arncliffe Adult Choir, founded earlier this year.
"There are about 15 people so far and they come from Arncliffe and outside St George," Tait said. "Ideally I would like 30 to 40.
"I think we should be able to make beautiful sounds and create a real buzz."
She said singing's health benefits included the release of brain endorphins.
The Arncliffe choir is part of SingUp Choirs whose ethos is singing fun songs, keeping an online library and recordings, performing a couple of concerts every year (with overseas trips), a big end-of-year gig and a flashmob.
As for Davis, he is a professional choir director who has been running community and school choirs and workshops for more than 20 years, as well as performing in a number of small groups.
He directs three choirs, as well as co-ordinating six others, with 300 people in those nine choirs.
"I also lead groups of adventurous singers to interesting [music] places around the world — including Morocco, Cuba, Vanuatu and Tonga," he said.
In his 20s he learned how a choir can be a village in itself — a real community, almost a family. After that, he began one choir after another as demand grew.
"Every choir I have is unique, and everyone gets something special out of it, but the common things are sheer joy, relaxation and community.
"It's very common to hear from members that choir night is the highlight of their week.
"Many people have trouble sleeping after choir, they are so wired.
"Great friendships have formed, babies have been born."
The SingUp choirs perform regularly, always raising money for a charity, with $50,000 raised over the years.
The Arncliffe choir practises in school terms at 7.30pm, Thursdays, St David’s Church hall, corner of Forest Road and Pitt-Owen Avenue, Arncliffe.
Details: 0403 869 405.