The Lullaby Project: Archive launch and choir performance

ArtHouse Jersey invites the public to a heartwarming afternoon celebrating the launch of the Lullaby Project’s brand-new website and archive.

People in Jersey are encouraged to join the creators Esther Rose Parkes and Susanne Kudielka on Saturday 12 July from 3pm to 6pm at the beautiful Le Tacheron Farm in Trinity for a magical event filled with music, stories, and community spirit. Co-commissioned by ArtHouse Jersey, the Lullaby Project will mark this milestone with a special live performance by the enchanting Lullaby Choir.

Guests can also step inside the interactive Lullaby Trailer, all while enjoying tea, coffee, and cake in a serene countryside setting. This event is a celebration of a remarkable three-year journey in community arts.

The Lullaby Project, created by artists Esther Rose Parkes and Susanne Kudielka, originally set out to create a ‘Lullaby portrait’ of Jersey by collecting lullabies from across the Island. What began as a time-limited project has evolved into something far more significant – a thriving community choir that has become a living archive of the island’s multicultural voices. The choir’s repertoire reflects Jersey’s rich multicultural landscape, featuring songs in Dutch, Urdu, Māori, Jèrriais, Ukrainian, and English. With nearly 70 lullabies collected in 17 languages, many of them original compositions written by community members, the choir represents one of the most comprehensive celebrations of Jersey’s cultural diversity.

The project’s three-phase journey included community workshops, lullaby singing events, and sound installations at major island events such as Children’s Day, the Festival of Words, and Scoop Summer Fayre. Six commissioned musicians created choral arrangements based on the archived lullabies, leading to the formation of the choir that rehearsed from September to December 2024. The choir’s continuation has been made possible through support from the Jersey Community Foundation, funded by the Channel Islands Lottery. This funding will allow the choir to maintain its role as both a performing ensemble and a repository of Jersey’s musical heritage.