What a string ensemble can do: Harmonize community, calm baby
Caitlin Gillespie, an expecting mother putting a struggle with homelessness, excessive substance use, and incarceration behind her, was skeptical when a Boston Medical Center worker introduced her to the Lullaby Project in 2017.
The songwriting collaboration with the Palaver Strings ensemble guides new and expecting parents to craft original lullabies for their children. What, she wondered, could crafting a song with classically trained violinists and cellists from premier music schools do for her and her unborn child?
That question goes to the core of Palaver Strings’ mission. The musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, Maine, uses classical music to address social issues, ranging from racial justice to coral reef conservation.
