Oregon Symphony arranges lullabies for children of incarcerated mothers
Singer-songwriters at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility are writing songs for children of women in custody, which are then arranged for orchestral performance.
By Justin Brooks ·
Musicians arrived at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility on Thursday to begin composing new lullabies with women in custody. The recordings will be arranged for the Oregon Symphony and performed publicly. This work continues the Lullaby Project, a program created more than a decade ago by the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.
The initiative pairs incarcerated or homeless parents with singer-songwriters to create original songs for their children. In Oregon, the completed compositions are adapted for the symphony before public debut. Jessica Katz, director of The Family Preservation Project, facilitates these pairings.
Ada McGraw became one of the first participants when the program expanded to Coffee Creek last year. While serving her sentence, she collaborated with singer-songwriter Bre Gregg. They wrote a lullaby for McGraw's son, Legend. The lyrics included a poem from the child's father.
Katz, Gregg, and McGraw discussed the creative process and the project's impact in a recent interview. The segment originally aired live on May 5, 2026. It is now being rebroadcast as part of the 'Staff Picks' series, which features favorite segments from production staff.
The Lullaby Project aims to create a lasting musical connection between parents and children separated by incarceration or homelessness. The Oregon Symphony serves as the performing ensemble for these unique arrangements. Musicians drove to the facility this week to start the next round of songwriting.
Listeners can hear the segment on 'Think Out Loud,' which broadcasts live at noon daily and rebroadcasts at 8 p.m. The program invites comments and topic suggestions via Facebook, email, or voicemail.
Source: KOPB-FM
