Early Music for Early Years
Relaxed morning events for babies, pre-school children, their parents, grandparents, and carers
The idea to include a concert of medieval and traditional lullabies in the 2022 and subsequent Festivals came from two sources:
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During the Covid lockdowns, singer Clare Norburn devised an online project teaching lullabies from a wide range of cultural traditions to grandparents who were at that time unable to have face-to-face contact with their grandchildren.
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During SNEMF 2021, festival director Rachel Stott noticed several audience members who had attended concerts with babies or toddlers leaving early in the programme because the children had become restless. Having read about Clare's Lullabies project, Rachel was inspired to design an early music event specially geared to the very young and their musically-hungry relatives.
The aim of SNEMF's Early Music for Early Years series is to provide high quality performance by period instrument players and singers for a mixed generation audience in a relaxed atmosphere. Summer 2022's Medieval and Traditional Lullabies was followed by Baroque Lullabies in November 2022 and Spring Lullabies in March 2023. The summer festival will present Elizabethan Lullabies. In the long term we hope to secure funding to maintain this series of three concerts per year, keeping ticket prices affordable.
Concerts in the Early Music for Early Years series
28 November 2025
EVERGREEN LULLABIES
Chantefable (Mariana Rodrigues, singer and Andrew Cowie, harpsichord) performed songs and fables with music to bring warmth to a late autumn morning.
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July 2025
SUMMER LULLABIES
Lullabies and folksongs from Croatia, Ireland and Italy, with music by Schubert, Mozart, Dowland, Vaughan-Williams, Bach, and Monteverdi, performed by Kathryn Parry, violin, and Imogen and Freya Parry, sopranos.​
February 2025
LULLABIES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
Intesa Duo performed music for viols and voice for little ones, their parents, and carers, to celebrate love.
July 2024
MEDIEVAL LULLABIES
Medieval and traditional lullabies, with Clare Norburn, soprano, and Jean Kelly, medieval harp, for little ones, their parents, and carers.
February 2024
WINTER LULLABIES
Programme of lullabies by Tallis and Holborne, cradle songs from around the world, and Forest Dreams, inspired by Michael Rosen's new book, The Big Dreaming, performed by Rachel Godsill, soprano and Rachel Stott, viola d'amore.
March 2023
SPRING LULLABIES
THE TELLING - Clare Norburn, singer, and Jean Kelly, harpist, performed medieval and traditional lullabies from a range of cultures. Clare and Jean delighted their audience at our 2022 festival, and this spring concert had a hugely appreciative audience, young and old.
November 2022
BAROQUE LULLABIES
SOPRIOLA - Rachel Godsill, singer and Rachel Stott, viola d'amore and viola angelica, performed cradle songs from the 17th century, alongside baroque dance tunes, a ballad about a dragon and music to soothe the soul by Purcell, Strozzi and Merula.