Brought to you by Cork International Choral Festival.

Did you know that you can literally sing yourself happy?

Countless studies have shown that belting out your favourite songs (even if you only sing in the shower) has a bunch of brilliant benefits for your mental and physical health.

With Cork International Choral Festival just around the corner (May 1st -5th, 2019), wannabe singers in Cork are about to have a unique opportunity to flex their vocal chords as part of a choir.

The Big Sing on Saturday, May 4th, 2019 is set to be even bigger and better this year and everyone’s invited to join in at City Hall and belt out this year’s brilliant song selection; Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop Feeling.

The best bit? You don’t need to be able to sing, it’s simply about lending your voice and experiencing the sheer joy and sense of community that lies at the heart of choral singing.

This year’s group will be led by Ciarán Kelly, who toured the US with the Five Irish Tenors, performing to sell-out audiences in 57 cities across the country.

The Big Sing is open to everyone and admission is free. Music and lyrics will be handed out on the day, and there’s no preparation necessary – just sing from, and for, the heart!

Here are five more brilliant reasons to take part this year:

1. Singing as part of a group has been proven to cause significant reductions in stress hormones, such as cortisol. Let’s face it; it’s hard to feel down in the dumps when you’ve been singing at the top of your voice for an hour.

2. It’s genuinely good for your health: Singing can help you control your breathing by lengthening your breath and emptying your lungs. Even people who suffer from breathing difficulties and conditions such as asthma and COPD can benefit.

3. Joining a choir can improve your confidence. Because singing is a form of self-expression, using your voice at volume in a group setting can help ease anxiety associated with speaking up in social situations.

4. Singing boosts your immune system. When researchers at the Royal College of Music tested the saliva of 193 members of five different choirs, the results showed that singing for an hour was associated with increases in quantities of cytokines — proteins of the immune system — which can boost the body’s ability to fight serious illness.

5. As you sing, you are gently exercising the muscles in your face. Singing regularly can help tone the neck and jawline and smooth wrinkles around the mouth, leaving you looking younger!

Every year Cork welcomes choirs from across the world for a programme of choral concerts, national and international competition, and internationally renowned performers as thousands of participants bring the city to life for five days. To view the full programme for Cork International Choral Festival 2019 and book tickets, visit the website here and follow the festival Facebook feed for updates.