Paul A. Smith started on his musical journey at a young age, as a piano student of Margaret Bonds, the renowned African-American composer, pianist, and performer, and one of the first black composers in America to receive due recognition for her work. Today her student Paul is a renowned conductor and fruitful musician with a Doctorate degree from the University of Southern California. Paul A. Smith has toured internationally with widely recognized American ensembles, not to mention Roger Wagner and the William Hall Chorales. He has served as an Assistant Director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers as well as performed as a soloist. On top of all this, Smith served as a guest conductor for the World Youth Choir, performing concerts throughout Spain. Nationally and worldwide, Paul A. Smith is in constant demand as a choral conductor and skilled musician. He has directed major ensembles including the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Today, he also serves as the Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the California State University of Northridge.

The Talented Ensemble of the Paul Smith Singers

Paul A. Smith cannot be duly mentioned without mentioning one of his most striking accomplishments, the Paul Smith Singers. Paul A. Smith is the creator of the Paul Smith Singers, an ensemble consisting of many of the greatest individual performers in the United States today. Its members are talented at and capable of everything ranging from professional recording, to television, to teaching, to dance. This formidable ensemble has received formal recognition for their work, appearing in concert with the Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As if this wasn’t enough, Paul A. Smith was invited to perform at the prestigious American Choral Directors Association’s National Convention in 2011.

The Paul. A Smith Multicultural Choral Series

What’s one to do with this vast history of musical experience and choral expertise? Paul A. Smith has put his knowledge to paper and created his very own choral series, The Paul A. Smith Multicultural Choral Series, and selected the notable arranger Stacey Gibbs to facilitate the arrangement. The Paul A. Smith Multicultural Choral Series is arranged for SATB, divisi, and a cappella voices, with a masterful flow in variety of tone and voice. These spirituals are perfect for church and school performances, and resound with depth and authenticity. The Paul A. Smith Multicultural Choral Series, including masterful songs such as “Roll, Jordan, Roll”, “Lord, If I Got My Ticket”, “Shout Glory!”, “Way Over in Beulah Lan’”, and more, is readily available in full at on our Gentry Publications website.

As a Conductor, Smith Treats Music with Respect and Thoughtfulness

Paul A. Smith’s work is hard to forget because he gives music his full respect. Take for example his masterful direction of The Sunday Night Singers’ and the Northridge Singers’ collaboration concert, where the two performed the breathtaking Brahms Requiem. As a conductor, Smith treats music, (and music composed by a master like Brahms), with a respect and thoughtfulness so apparent that it feels palpable in his work and his performances. What he conducts feels as though it’s the product of passion for and control of music shaped, quite literally, in the palm of his hand. He clearly enjoys music as much as it’s meant to be enjoyed, and uniquely connects with his ensembles. His guidance and authenticity continue to influence students to step into the path of choral music and composition. Paul A. Smith has dedicated his life to the expansion of music, and he strives onward in its purpose, making pieces capable of inspiring students and transforming audiences readily available in The Paul A. Smith Multicultural Choral Series.