Announcing the release of our first Lullaby Project album!
Written and sung by Lullaby Project participants.
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM
About the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Lullaby Project
The Lullaby Project, a project of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, pairs new and expecting parents and caregivers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies. The participants are offered a creative opportunity to communicate feelings, hopes, and dreams as they look to the future with their child. The Lullaby Project supports maternal health, aids childhood development, and strengthens the bond between parent and child.
With its launch in 2024, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will host two cohorts of the program, serving ten families in each. The first Project cohort began in early 2024 and concluded with a community Celebration Concert on June 24, 2024, at the Trust’s Greer Cabaret Theater. The second cohort of the program will be coordinated with new participating families during the fall 2024 and a Celebration Concert will be held in early 2025.
This was like a therapy session with music and words. I’m glad I tried it. [The song is] a memory you can create for you and your child. - Lullaby Project Participant
Our Teaching Artists
Photo credit: Seth Culp-Ressler. Lullaby Teaching Artists Sean Baker, Lynn Speakman, and David Bowens.
Each Lullaby Project cohort provides participating families with two writing sessions and a recording session led by Teaching Artists Sean Baker (program musical director), Lynn Speakman, and David Bowens.
Sean Baker
Sean Baker, a seasoned multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer, originates from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As the founder of Baker Music School, he offers comprehensive music instruction, both in person and through virtual platforms. Additionally, Sean serves as the Music Director at Calvary Baptist Church. He is a frequent performer at various venues and events throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area and has been featured in collaboration with many artists. Sean aims to make music accessible and spread its transformative influence to the broadest possible audience.
David Bowens
David Bowens, raised in Philadelphia, found his musical calling early on through singing and drumming in church. After graduating from Cheltenham High, Job Corps brought him to Pittsburgh at age 18. Here, he stayed involved with the music ministries of Pentecostal Temple, Eastminster Presbyterian, and currently, Orchard Hill Church, leading their Strip District Campus' worship and tech teams for the past 7 years. David is married to Tamika and they have 5 children.
Lynn Speakman
Performer, composer, arranger, and music educator, Lynn Speakman has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Christian McBride, Gerald Wilson and His Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon and more. An experienced educator, Lynn has taught at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Academy, Pittsburgh’s Center of Life Jazz and more. Lynn also spends time composing, arranging, transcribing and engraving music for her band, students, and for many high profile clients in NYC. Lynn is in high demand on the music scene, leading her own band, the Lynn Speakman Quintet.
Celebration Concert
In our first year, we are hosting two cohorts of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Lullaby Project, with each group consisting of ten families. Each Lullaby Project session includes two writing sessions and a recording session. The program culminates in a community Celebration Concert where we celebrate the participants, and their lullabies are performed in a concert setting. The Celebration Concerts are open to the public, and attendees include participants, their families, community members, partner organizations, funders, Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement Department committee members, and other stakeholders.
What a beautiful night of much needed healing and celebration for uplifting issues that wonderful women face. Kudos to the Trust for using the arts as a mechanism for encouraging positivity and hope. What the world needs now!!! Can’t wait to see what community uniting and engaging program comes up next! - Lullaby Project Concert Attendee
Our First Lullaby Project Album
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to be one of over fifty organizations worldwide partnering with the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
We are proud to partner with organizations to help connect us with families in our community.
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Lullaby Project is made possible with support from
