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ENSEMBLE INFO

Ensemble Contact:

Email:

burrellnaomi@gmail.com

2024

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Laboratory of Lullabies is an immersive concert experience that brings together baroque and folk traditions through the shared, universal practice of lullabies and night-time music. Conceived and led by violinist and vocalist Naomi Burrell, the project explores how music written to comfort, soothe and accompany sleep has travelled across centuries, cultures and languages, retaining a powerful emotional resonance for listeners of all ages.
The programme draws on early music repertoire alongside traditional material from across Europe and beyond, presented through new arrangements for period instruments and voice. Rather than treating lullabies as music solely for children, the project reclaims them as sophisticated, emotionally rich works that speak across generations. In doing so, Laboratory of Lullabies invites audiences to experience early music in a setting that is intimate, welcoming and reflective, while remaining musically rigorous and historically informed.
Developed during a residency at Snape Maltings, the live show was created as an expansion of a recorded album, translating its sound world into a multi-sensory performance. The ensemble—an international group of early music specialists—performs on period instruments, combining historically informed practice with a flexible, exploratory approach. The performance space is transformed to remove the traditional separation between performers and audience, encouraging listeners to engage physically and imaginatively with the music. Subtle visual elements and creative technology are used to enhance the atmosphere without distracting from the sound, creating an immersive environment that supports deep listening.
A central aim of the project is to broaden and diversify audiences for early music. Laboratory of Lullabies is designed to be accessible to families with young children, adults attending with elderly relatives, and audiences who may not normally engage with classical or early music concerts. At the same time, the musical content is rich enough to reward experienced listeners. This intergenerational focus reflects the core theme of the project: music as a bridge between people, memories and traditions.
Following the success of the initial performances, the artistic team now seeks to take Laboratory of Lullabies on tour in September 2026 (to Stade Hall- Hastings, New Paths, BREMF, Roman River). Support from the Continuo Foundation would enable the ensemble to tour to these festivals and venues, especially those with limited resources, while maintaining high artistic standards and fair pay for musicians. Funding would directly contribute to performer fees, travel, rehearsal time and technical support, ensuring that this distinctive, audience-focused early music project can reach communities across the UK and continue to develop new ways of sharing historically informed performance with contemporary audiences.

Noodle Music is an early music ensemble formed around a shared commitment to historically informed performance, embodied musicianship, and inclusive audience engagement. The ensemble grew out of a close musical collaboration between mother and daughter, Margareta and Naomi Burrell, both musicians and pedagogues whose work is grounded in the principles of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and early music practice. Their combined focus on listening, movement, rhythm and historical style underpins the ensemble’s artistic identity and approach to performance.
The rationale for forming Noodle Music emerged during the pandemic, when Margareta and Naomi began curating and arranging a large body of lullabies and night music drawn from baroque repertoire and historical folk traditions across Europe and beyond.
The ensemble brings together Swedish and UK-based musicians, reflecting Naomi Burrell’s professional life across several musical cultures. Many of the core members have worked extensively together through Barokksolistene, providing a strong shared background in baroque repertoire, continuo practice, improvisation and historically informed performance. This long-standing collaboration enables a high level of musical trust and stylistic coherence. The ensemble also includes lutenist Sergio Bucheli, with whom Naomi has developed a flexible two-hander version of the lullaby programme. This version was performed at Handel House in Autumn 2025 and will be presented at the Fairest Isle Festival in May 2026.
In 2024, a selection of the lullaby repertoire was recorded with colleagues from Barokksolistene, resulting in two albums released via Yoto: Lullabies from around Europe and Lullabies from around the World. Naomi was selected as an Independent Creator for Yoto that year, and the albums have since reached over 1,800 families internationally. Listener feedback has highlighted both the musical quality and the emotional resonance of the project.
In 2025, Noodle Music was selected from over 500 applicants for the Britten Pears Arts Residency Programme. During the residency, the ensemble developed the recorded lullaby material into a live concert format. Public performances took place at Snape Maltings and at Christchurch, St Leonards in February 2025, marking significant milestones in the ensemble’s public activity and audience engagement.
Noodle Music’s repertoire is rooted in baroque music, including works by composers such as Telemann, J.C. Bach, Charpentier and Händel, alongside deep explorations of historical folk song traditions. The ensemble also engages with later composers influenced by folk music, such as Bartók and Warlock, and creates original arrangements and settings of historical texts. Current projects include a forthcoming album of European dance tunes and a collection of Swedish children’s songs by Alice Tegnér. Noodle Music aspires to continue developing scholarly awareness alongside warmth, flexibility and a strong sense of shared musical experience.