Connor Big sing raises the roof!

Wednesday September 20th 2017

Participants in the Connor Big Sing on Sunday September 17 did their best to raise the roof of Lisburn Cathedral with some fantastic contemporary Christian Music!

The afternoon training and evening praise service was hosted by the Dean and Chapter of Lisburn Cathedral. More than 80 people attended the training workshops and there were 240 at the evening Praise Service.

Training was facilitated by the Cathedral’s Director of Music, Mr Stephen McLoughlin, and the leader of the Lisburn Community Choir and Children’s Choir, Mrs Julie Harper.

Stephen worked with musicians helping them to approach new contemporary songs and with the coordination of music groups, while Julie trained the singers (sopranos and altos). Mark Tilley (co-leader of the Lisburn Community Choir) trained the tenors and basses.

Julie also covered vocal training exercises, posture and communication. The aim was that each group would feel better equipped to go back to their parish with the confidence to use much more varied musical material.

The afternoon session taught contemporary songs, and some of which were included in the evening Praise Service.

Dean Sam Wright said the initiative had been inspired by the most recent installation services for the Dean and Canons in Lisburn Cathedral which had included a number of contemporary worship songs. “These songs received favourable comments from members of the congregations present – it was as a result of this feedback that the Chapter members felt that we could contribute to the worshipping life of the diocese by providing this training day in contemporary Christian music followed by an Evening Praise Service.”

Photos by Matthew Cairns.