The Lullaby Project is one of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Community Engagement Programs. This is the second cohort where the Trust teamed up
with the Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute matching new and expecting
mothers and caregivers with songwriters and musicians to create very personal
Lullabies for their child. On March 1, 2025 the Trust's second cohort Lullaby Project Celebration took place. The performances of these original songs spread joy that reminds us that no matter what our differences, the
love between a family/mother and child is universal.
Brooke Horejsi, Chief Programming and Engagement Officer for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, put it so well, “This is a love celebration from the
heart.” The concert consists of seven
participant poems that were transformed into soft, jazzy, even pop-like tunes. The
musical quality was impressive but the messages of affection, hope and aspirations
for these new lives showered the room with positivism.
I spoke with a family that participated last year. The mother beamed with pride when she spoke about her Lullaby, "Wonders of Oba." “My son knows all the words, asks for his song
often and we sing it nightly.” The experience united the three familial generations represented at the table. Their song became a family mantra.
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| "Wonders of Oba" is a family mantra |
This project creates a gift which is like a time capsule of memories for each child. Listening to them all, I thought about my own son. Many of the Lullabies captured things that I would say to him like:
“If ever you’re lost / Look at me, I’m like the North Star / Just lift up your eyes and you will know you’re not far from home” (Shooting Star by Diarra Clarke with Sean Baker.)
“Mama’s wish for you: That I can Give you comfort / and steer
you the right way / that you’ll build strength and confidence to be a leader ev’ry
day”(Mama’s Wish for you by Courtney Rhoton with Lynn Speakman.)
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| A memory with my own son |
This concert was filled with so many love songs that it was a party of pure joy. It showcased the way art can feed the strong bond between a mother and child which is a universal force in us all.
(For more information on the Lullaby Project and the Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust Community Engagement Programs go to Lullaby Project and Community Engagement.)
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/engagement
https://trustarts.org/pct_home/engagement/lullaby-project
