Farmington resident Cori Connors has been delighting audiences with her music for many years. She was born in Idaho, raised in Pittsburg, Penn. and has lived in Farmington for 39 years. David, Connors’ husband of 43 years, has been supportive. “He never ever did anything but celebrate when I went to perform or record,” she said.

 “It has been such a blessing to me,” Connors said of her music. “I can express things that are not as fully developed in just words. I like the physical exchange. It kind of creates a set of very large arms that you can wrap around whoever the audience is – the way the lyric sits in with the music and the two work together. It is like a marriage. You have the notes and the rhythm and the timing. You also have the power of the lyric and the images the lyric can evoke.”

The music has also blessed her family, she said. “The vibrations of music are physically therapeutic, so we have the benefit of that in our home.”

Connors said she taught her daughters and her son that it is enriching and empowering to make sacrifices as they developed their talents. “For my kids and my husband, the process of performing, recording, and having a career in music, I think has been healthy. They all learned to step in and handle the house without me, so I could develop those talents and, hopefully, enrich other people’s lives in the use of them. My daughters learned that it is OK to do what you are emotionally and spiritually called to go do.”

Every year Connors does a Christmas concert, in which all the proceeds go to support orphanages in Africa, sponsored by a group called Lifting Lives. The orphanages are Granny Gardner and Daisy School.

“I think my Christmas concerts have an extra measure of sweetness because of the fact that we are all coming together for that,” Connors said. “This year we sold, what we call, orphan care packages. I make jam. My sister made a loaf of homemade bread. Stephen’s Chocolate donated a can of chocolate. These little packages sold for $50 and we sold a hundred. So that says a lot about the people who share in my Christmas music.”

“We also help support an organization, Families Helping Families,” she said. “They go to Mexico and help families down there build their own homes. It has been hugely empowering to these families in Mexico. I’m a real believer in that program.”

One of Connors’ songs is sung internationally by a Finnish singer, Tarja Turunen. “She was with a metal band called Night Wish and had decided to break away from the band,” Connors said.

Her song, “You Would Have Loved This” was Turunen’s first release as a solo artist. “It sold out in one day,” said Connors. “It’s kind of fun to hear other people play your song.”

Connors has learned some important lessons about songwriting. “If they can pretend whatever you want them to pretend, it will trigger memories in their own lives, so I try to create really specific images. The more specific you are in your imagery, the more universal you become.”