Lullaby Project: Musical Act

Lullaby Project: Musical Act

On Monday, May 18 at 20.00, the Lullaby Project concert returns for its ninth consecutive year to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in partnership with the musical social inclusion project El Sistema Greece and New York's Carnegie Hall.

The Lullaby Project creates an open space for expression, where people with diverse experiences meet composers and songwriters to transform personal stories into original musical works. Stories for children, but also stories that speak through the children themselves.

This year, El Sistema Greece creates a Musical Act that transcends the boundaries of gender and biological kinship. Original music compositions highlight stories that touch upon contemporary social issues, inviting us into a world of empathy, acceptance and meaningful connection.

Behind each piece is a true story:

Parents of a child on the autism spectrum discover, through their daily life, different ways of communication and connection.

A woman who has dedicated her life to special education schools creates, through music and art, a space where children can express themselves and belong.

A group of intersex individuals speak for themselves about their experiences-what it means to grow up and to claim the space to exist on their own terms.

A mother of three children, each with different beginnings, speaks about family as a unified whole, beyond divisions.

A mother who, after a sudden loss, takes her children's lives into her own hands and embarks on a difficult journey, seeking a safer and more open future for them.

A mother who stood by her daughter through illness, supporting her every step with strength and care.

Students from the Second Chance School of Korydallos Prison, who through music find a way to stay connected-with their children, their families, and what they have left behind.

These stories are conveyed on stage through original musical compositions by the creators: Dimitris Kamarotos, Rosanna Mailan, Dimitris Bakoulis, Dimitris Papikas, Sadahzinia, Seeds, and Sophie Lies. Through their artistic imprint, they transform personal experience into music.

The musical stories will be presented live to the public on Monday, May 18 at 20.00 at the Alternative Stage of the SNFCC, in yet another musical celebration of parental love. The orchestra will be conducted by Kyriaki Kountouri, while El Sistema Greece Youth Choir will also participate in the concert under the direction of Vagias Papagiannopoulou.

The unique community program Lullaby Project was created in December 2011 in New York by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, bringing together new mothers and expectant women from vulnerable social environments with musical artists, with the aim of writing and singing lullabies to their babies. Since then, these songs have been performed at the renowned concerts of The Lullaby Project, which have featured celebrated artists, including mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, Fiona Apple, Natalie Merchant, Catherine Zeta-Jones, et al.

In pursuing its effort to promote social inclusion through music, Carnegie Hall has been working together with El Sistema Greece since 2018 in the implementation of the Greek version of The Lullaby Project, with El Sistema Greece innovating and expanding the concept beyond maternity and biological ties, to include stories of parental love in all its forms, affectionately dedicated to all the children of the world. The SNFCC has joined El Sistema Greece on this beautiful musical journey since the very first year, 2018, supporting its effort to celebrate the love for children through the universal power of the lullaby.