The Baby Book Project
is a short interdisciplinary film exploring the emotional journey of motherhood—from loss and longing to birth and the complexities of early parenting. Inspired by Lauren Spavelko’s powerful song cycle Baby Book, with lyrics by poet Chloe Yelena Miller, the film gives voice to often-silenced experiences like miscarriage, traumatic birth, and postpartum struggles. Through music, poetry, and storytelling, we aim to spark dialogue, reflection, and deeper connection around the realities of family-building.
The Arts and Parenting Collective uses the arts to foster empathy, connection, and community among parents and families. We support and promote artistic works that reflect the experiences of modern family life, while creating opportunities for families to engage through performances, classes, and events. On May 24, 2025, we hosted our first-ever Arts and Family Summit at the UCA, drawing over 90 participants for a joyful day of arts and crafts, creative writing and dance workshops, family photo and history booths, and a culminating performance. The event brought together children and adults alike in a shared celebration of creativity and connection.
Aldridge Love Songs
Performed by Nicole Asel, mezzo-soprano & Robert Spillman, piano
Now streaming everywhere you listen
Raw. Intimate. Unexpected. In this premiere recording of LoveSongs, Grammy-winning composer Robert Livingston Aldridge explores love in all its forms—tender, agitated, ironic, mysterious—through fifteen emotionally charged songs that live in the space between classical music and popular styles.
Written in a single creative burst in May 2004, each piece was composed in just one day, capturing a spontaneous, visceral connection between poetry and music. Originally premiered by tenor Stephen Oosting and pianist Robert Spillman in 2005, this new recording features mezzo-soprano Nicole Asel alongside Robert Spillman himself.
Dedicated to Aldridge’s wife, LoveSongs is both deeply personal and endlessly relatable—perfect as a full cycle or as stand-alone moments of emotional truth.
Rufus Wainwright’s Songs for Lulu
Known for his lush pop songwriting and magnetic stage presence, Rufus Wainwright brings his passion for classical music center stage in Songs for Lulu—his first complete song cycle, composed during what he calls “the darkest and brightest time of my life.” Written alongside his opera Prima Donna in 2009, the cycle weaves together Shakespeare sonnets, original lyrics, and even an aria from Prima Donna, reflecting a time of profound personal loss and new life.
This twelve-song collection is unapologetically theatrical, emotionally raw, and musically bold—with virtuosic piano writing and a wide spectrum of vocal demands. Though rooted in the classical tradition, Songs for Lulu is rich with cabaret flair and crossover appeal, offering young artists a genre-bending playground for creative exploration.
Nicole has performed these pieces throughout the Northern America in both lecture recital and traditional recital format.