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Jeff Smith https://bachtrack.com/files/187926-smith-headshot-2019.jpg300450 Two-thirds of his life Jeff Smith has been involved with the Philadelphia Boys Choir, but he could have never predicted it when, as an eight year old on his way to his audition, he sat crying in the car, scared he wouldn't get in. When the then choral director offered him a place on the spot, he was ecstatic.

“The beauty. The first time I felt part of something larger than myself.” In July, Eric Whitacre was speaking on the BBC World Service about the first time he took part in a choir. There are an estimated 37 million choral singers in Europe in churches, in the community and in schools, with 2.2 million of them in 40,000 choirs in the UK. That feeling is what it's like to sing in a choir, with everyone in the same room, eyes fixed on the choral director.

An estimated 40 million people sing in choirs in the USA* alone and in the UK it’s the most popular pastime after sport. But that still puts the UK and Europe way behind Asia, according to Johan Rooze, a Dutch national who has lived and worked in South Korea for almost 12 years. “Here in Asia singing is very much integrated in society and in daily life. Everyone sings in a church choir or a community choir. Every school and university has a very good choir programme too.” And Rooze should know.