Gospel songs like “He’s Blessing Me” and “God Is”, both recorded by the GMWA Mass Choir, came from the pen of noted Gospel music songwriter, Norris Garner. Also known for writing “Magnify Him”, the first hit by Gospel ensemble Patrick Lundy & The Ministers Of Music, Garner has gained a following overseas as an in-demand workshop clinician. The Minister of Music for the First Baptist Church in Merrifield, VA, Garner will be traveling to Europe from Wednesday, May 7 – June 9, 2014 for a series of workshops on Gospel music.
Garner starts out the tour heading to Konin, Poland on May 7th. During his first workshop, he will be teaching students of sacred music, the Konin Gospel Choir, proper singing techniques and explaining ways to express Gospel music with a more American flair. The workshop culminates with a final concert performance on Saturday, May 10th at the X Gospel Festival On The Warta located at CKis Oskard.
From Konin, Garner will be traveling to Krakow, also in Poland, to teach a workshop to disadvantaged kids. Taking place in the historical city, the 3-day session will conclude with a benefit concert. His trip includes similar sessions in Warsaw, Poland, and in Copenhagen, Denmark. In Denmark, he will be teaching a one-day workshop to two Gospel choirs, the Crossroads Choir and Joyce’s Choir as well as to children at an elementary school. He ends the tour in the Polish town of Suwalski, where he will be training more lovers of Gospel music and will be performing at two concerts, one on Friday, May 30th and another on Sunday, June 1st.
Norris Garner gets a lot of joy out of sharing his songs and his love for Gospel music, and he is not alone. “In the workshops I teach, I find that these people really love Gospel music,” shares Garner. “They try to perfectly emulate the sound and the style of it. In my critique, I help them with things like diction and pronunciation. I also try to convey the heart and spirit of the music as well. They already have the passion for the music and a radical praise for God. My goal is to help them understand that this genre of music comes from a culture, from the African American church experience.”
The D.C.-based songwriter has been penning songs since his youth. Originally from Roanoke Rapids, NC, he is a self-taught musician and began performing in Gospel choirs while still a youth. Since that time, he’s worked with countless artists and choirs and has performed with the Gospel Music Workshop of America, the Thomas Dorsey Mass Choir, The Mississippi Mass Choir, Yolanda Adams, John P. Kee, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and many others. A recording artist and choir director, Norris Garner has ministered in song all over the world.
