Call out for early-career composers

The Lullaby Project supports parents in challenging circumstances to write and record original songs for their children. The project was originally devised by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in the US and brought to the UK in 2017 by the Irene Taylor Trust in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. More information about the programme and examples of the songs and their style can be found here.

In May 2025 as part of the Lullaby Project we will be collaborating with parents who have experience of the criminal justice system in London, supporting them to write lullabies for their children. We have an exciting opportunity for an early-career composer to join us for the project.

Your role will be to co-create a song (3-4 minutes) with one of these parents for a small ensemble of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra musicians and a singer.

What you’ll do:

• Attend a 1-hour online induction with ITT and RPO staff
• Collaborate with a parent in a 3-hour writing session on 6th May 1.00 – 4.00pm, in London to generate musical ideas and lyrics
• Compose and arrange the co-created song for the specified ensemble (instrumentation details provided at the online induction)
• Receive valuable mentorship from ITT’s Lead Composer, Nick Hayes
• Be present at the recording and performance session on 23rd May 10.00am – 4.00pm in London

Why you’re perfect for the role:

• You’re a socially engaged composer with a demonstrably strong musical background
• You possess a passion for creating music that resonates with families
• You have excellent collaboration skills and enjoy working creatively with others

What we offer:

• A rewarding opportunity to contribute to a meaningful community project
• Collaboration with musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Mentorship from experienced composer Nick Hayes
• Your song will be performed at a concert at Rich Mix and live streamed on YouTube; a recording of the song will also be made available on our SoundCloud page
• A bursary of £500 to cover your time and project-related expenses

To apply:

Please send a brief outline of your experience and why you would like to be part of this project, plus the audio and full score of a previous composition / song in a similar style to jake@irenetaylortrust.com by 25th February.

You can download this info here.