Islandmagee musician Lisa’s poignant take on ‘Auld Lang Syne’

Lisa Dawson recorded her own version of the New Year’s classic, Auld Lang Syne.

A classically-trained soprano who has performed from a young age with many vocal ensembles at venues across the world, including The Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, Lisa has always had a love for traditional songs from her Celtic heritage.

Like so many other musicians and artists, this year saw her busy teaching and performance schedule suddenly become very empty.

With lots of time at home to herself, the local woman turned to the Internet to entertain friends and family.

This led to live-streaming performances, developing a project to perform online for care homes across Northern Ireland and even launching a YouTube channel.

What started as a fun way to keep people entertained and connected with each other turned into Lisa gaining new skills in audio recording and editing, which she later put to use in recording her first ever single.

‘Auld Lang Syne’ is the official launch of her solo career. The track is entirely arranged, performed, recorded and edited by Lisa - a process she hopes will inspire other musicians who, like her, may be intimidated by the studio recording process.

Lisa said: “As a classical musician, I never thought I needed to know anything about audio recording so I have always shied away from learning. I decided 2020 was a year to take risks and try something new, and it has opened a whole new world of opportunities for me. I would encourage anyone to face that thing that scares you and make learning a new skill your New Year’s Resolution.”

‘Auld Lang Syne’ is now available on all music platforms and on YouTube.