Lillian is a highly regarded conductor and music educator with an illustrious career spanning several decades. As the Groh-Darr Endowed Chair of Choral Studies at Columbia College and later as Professor Emerita, she shaped young musicians and fostered a love for choral arts. Lillian also founded and lead the Sandlapper Singers, a prominent professional ensemble. She has served in a variety of leadership roles in churches including Midland Park United Methodist (Charleston, SC), Main Street United Methodist (Columbia), Union United Methodist (Columbia), Shandon Presbyterian (Columbia), and most recently as a substitute director at First Presbyterian (Charlotte).

She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of South Carolina and is the founder and director of the Shamrock Singers at Aldersgate CCRC, where she is held in high esteem by several SJBC members.