Why Did the Child Laugh While Dreaming? is inspired by the experience of observing my son's facial expressions while he sleeps and imagining his pre-verbal inner world. The title comes from a Hebrew children’s poem of the same name (מדוע הילד צחק בחלום) by Lea Goldberg. Much like how Goldberg envisions the whimsical dreams of a child—playing with an elephant in the sand, watching a cloud turn the sun into a golden balloon—my composition unfolds through variations on a lullaby-like theme. Throughout the piece, various sliding effects appear in the violin and harp, evoking sounds of whimpering and laughter. Written as part of a fellowship with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, the piece was developed in close collaboration with violinist Hyeyung Sol Yoon and harpist Jennifer Ellis.