George Smale

Smale, George

George (Albert) Smale. Organist-choirmaster, educator, b Delaware Township, near London, Ont, 12 May 1905, d Brantford, Ont, 10 Jan 1994; ATCM organ 1934, ATCM voice 1934, honorary FRCCO (1989). After studies with George Lethbridge in London, Smale moved in 1927 to Brantford, Ont, where he served as organist-choirmaster at a succession of churches including Zion United 1939-70. He became music director for Brantford Schools in 1937, served 1945-70 as music director of the Ontario School for the Blind (renamed the W. Ross Macdonald School), and was principal 1970-4 of the WOCM, London, Ont. He also taught 1937-57 at the Ontario Department of Education summer school in Toronto. He founded and was the conductor 1937-45 of the Varié Singers, a female choir which performed throughout Ontario, and was the conductor 1946-53 of the Cockshutt Male Choir, which under his direction achieved a high performance standard and was invited to perform on the CBC several times. Smale was president of the music section of the Ontario Educational Association (OMEA) 1944-5, of the ORMTA 1960-1, and of the Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association 1973-5. He founded the Brantford Music Festival and set up a scholarship for performance of Canadian compositions. He was volunteer host 1975-6 for a CKWR-FM, Kitchener, radio show devoted exclusively to Canadian music. He was a contributor to EMC.

See also Marnie Smale (his wife).

Writings

'The Western Ontario Conservatory of Music,' Recorder, Dec 1973