Carnegie Hall

Registration for the 2026 International Lullaby Project Convening is now live. There is no cost associated with registering for this convening. Please note that the registration deadline will be March 13, and that participation in the convening is on a first-come, first-served basis dependent on the event capacity.

Register

Travel and Hotel

The Resnick Education Wing is located at 154 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. For directions to Carnegie Hall, visit our website. Guests will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn New York / Central Park South-Midtown West located at 237 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019. For those making their own arrangements, you will be able to book your room via the courtesy block. Please note that the deadline will be April 28.

* If you are traveling Internationally, please review the following visa Information.

US Visitor Visa for Tourism
Information on the Visa Waiver Program
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) website

Financial Support

Carnegie Hall is happy to offer financial support for one representative from a new or prospective partner organization to attend the convening. Please note that this only applies to organizations who have not attended the convening in the past. Additional guests and returning partners are welcome to attend but will be responsible for any associated costs.

• Round-trip airfare or train reimbursement up to $500 (transportation to and from the airport not included). To provide reimbursements, we are required to collect the payee’s tax information as well as electronic bank transfer information. Additional airfare or train costs above $500 are the responsibility of the traveler or organization.
• Three-night hotel stay in New York City (May 27, May 28, and May 29). Please note that arranging additional nights of accommodation is the responsibility of each individual traveler. If you are interested in additional nights, we can put you in touch with the hotel.

After registration closes, the Lullaby Project Team will be in touch to confirm your financial support. Reimbursement forms will be sent out in May before the Convening begins and will be processed in June.

Schedule

Throughout this three-day convening we will discuss approaches in establishing meaningful projects in our communities, explore collaborative songwriting techniques, navigate the core building blocks of the program, dive into research and evaluation in the field, and hold space for open dialogue to learn from each other.

Schedule subject to change.

All events are held in the Weill Music Room unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, May 28

9:30–10 AM              Guest Check In / Breakfast (provided by Carnegie Hall)

10–10:30 AM            Welcome from Carnegie Hall

10:30 AM–12 PM     What’s in a Name?

A journey through identity, history, and how the names we carry shape us. Led by Din Tolbert, who goes straight to the heart using powerful storytelling to break down barriers and inspire action.

12–1 PM                   Lunch (provided by Carnegie Hall)

1–3 PM                      Building a Meaningful Song

Explore musical tools, tips, and engagement strategies for meaningful collaborative songwriting with families, led by New York teaching artists Emily Eagen and Sonia de los Santos.

3–3:30 PM               Coffee Break (provided by Carnegie Hall)

3:30–5 PM                Building a Meaningful Project

Join a panel discussion led by New York teaching artist Thomas Cabaniss with partners from around the world, exploring Lullaby Project structures, ways to build partnerships to support families, and varied approaches to responsive program design.

Panelists

• Payton Friess (Kansas Children's Discovery Center, Kansas)
• Nathan Rifenburg (Musicopia, Pennsylvania)
• Natalia Jimenez (Somos CaPAZes, Colombia)

5–5:15 PM              Group Reflection

5:30–7:30 PM       Group Dinner (provided by Carnegie Hall; Vida Verde: 248 West 55th Street)

Friday, May 29

9–10 AM                 Guest Check In / Breakfast (provided by Carnegie Hall)

10–11 AM                 Well-Being Concert: Magos Herrera

This intimate Well-Being Concert, hosted by Nisha Sajnani, invites audiences to experience the nurturing power of music and mindfulness. The performance is led by award-winning vocalist and composer Magos Herrera, who describes her most recent album, Aire, as “a way to reach out … to heal each other by coming together and celebrating our humanity with compassion and gratitude.”

11–11:30 AM             Coffee Break (provided by Carnegie Hall)

11:30 AM–1 PM        Breakout Sessions

1. Community and Staff Impact in Healthcare Settings
   Dennie Palmer Wolf, WolfBrown
   Monica Mariño, Program Director, Arts in Medicine; NYC Health + Hospitals
2. Lullabies and Language Revitalization
   Joanne Cole and Moana Ete, New Zealand Opera
3. Community Peace Building: Navigating Trauma and Conflict Resolution at Scale
   Natalia Jimenez, Somos CaPAZes

1–2 PM                    Lunch (provided by Carnegie Hall)

2–3 PM                    Beyond the Lullaby Project: Pathways for Families

How can we build on the Lullaby Project experience to deepen and engage families beyond the project? Join Early Childhood Programs Manager Alex Carella and University of Amsterdam researcher Dr. Eftychia Stamkou in a conversation about Carnegie Hall’s various early childhood programs, how these were informed by the Lullaby Project and provide rich pathways to deepen the experience, and long-term engagement and relationships with families.

3–3:30 PM              Group Reflection

3:30 PM                   End of Convening Day 2

Saturday, May 30

10:30–11 AM          Guest Check In / Breakfast (provided by Carnegie Hall)

11 AM–1 PM           Keynote: Dr. Junlei Li

Junlei Li is the Saul Zaentz senior lecturer in early childhood education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research and practice focus on understanding and supporting the work of those who serve children and families on the frontlines of education and social services. Dr. Li studied and learned from a wide range of developmental settings with low resources but high-quality practices, including orphanages, childcare, classrooms, and community youth programs. He developed the Simple Interactions approach to help identify what ordinary people do extraordinarily well with children in everyday moments and makes that the basis for promoting positive systemic change.

1–2 PM                   Lunch (provided by Carnegie Hall)

3 PM                        Lullaby Celebration Concert (Zankel Hall)

Join us for our annual Lullaby Celebration Concert, featuring the songs and stories of families who participated in the program in New York and around the globe.

Conference attendees will receive complimentary tickets to the event.

4:45 PM                  Post-Concert Reflection

5:30 PM                  End of Convening