“Intriguing — and oddly addictive”
“What Jurassic Park did for dinosaurs, the Valencia Baryton Project has done for the baryton.”
“Apparently small music can be this big. You can’t get enough of it.”
Partnership for the Performing Arts. PPA, Brookings, OR
Ensemble
A string trio with four instruments.
A string trio with four instruments? A harpsichord hiding behind the cello? The Valencia Baryton Project has dedicated itself to the performance of music written for an ancient and little-known instrument, the baryton. A cross between the viol da gamba and lirone, with six bowed strings and ten resonating and plucked strings running down the back of the neck, the baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension.
Beyond their work with Haydn and his contemporaries such as Lidl, Tomasini and Burgksteiner, the Valencia Baryton Project is committed to the creation of new works for this forgotten instrument, and has worked with Canadian composer Steve Zink, British composers Ivan Moody and John Pickup, Spanish composer José Zárate and Argentinian composer Julián Calarco to expand the repertoire and bring this soundscape into modern composition. They have also collaborated with international artists such as Carrie Krause (violin, USA), Jeremy Brooker (baryton, UK), Chris Hirst (theorbo, UK) and Paloma Friedhoff (soprano, Spain) amongst many others.
- Haydn trios
- 126
- Naxos volumes
- 3
- Works commissioned
- 12
- Concerts
- over 100
About Matthew Baker
Matthew Baker is a versatile instrumentalist performing in styles ranging from jazz to classical, celtic to tango, and most other things in between. Originally from the USA, Matt has lived in Valencia, Spain since 2006 working as a double bassist in the Palau de les Arts (opera of Valencia), founded by Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta as well as teaching jazz and contemporary music at Berklee College of Music Valencia.
Baryton
Matthew Baker
About Brett Walfish
Brett Walfish, violist and Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Rushmore Music Festival, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Ireland, Italy, and Israel. His concerts have taken him to Tel Aviv Opera House, the National Music Museum, the Historic Blackfriars Theatre and Carnegie Hall, among others.
Viola
Brett Walfish
About Ismar Gomes
Dr. Ismar Gomes is a chamber musician, recitalist, baroque cellist, and orchestral player. Recent performance highlights include recitals as a member of Duo Sorolla on distinguished concert series across the United States, as well as collaborations with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Emerson, and the Johannes Quartets. A former member of the Virginia and Richmond Symphonies, he frequently performs with the Baltimore Symphony.
Violoncello
Ismar Gomes
Dates
Where to hear the trio next.
Partnership for the Performing Arts. PPA
Brookings, OR
- Time :
Redwood Arts Council
Santa Rosa, CA
- Dates :
- 12–14 Nov 2026
- Outreach :
InConcert Sierra
Grass Valley, CA
- Time :
- Pre-concert talk :
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
La Jolla, CA
- Time :
Videos
This is what it sounds like.
Valencia Baryton Project - Allegro from Haydn's Baryton Trio no. 50
The ensemble’s music video — one Allegro, from Haydn’s fiftieth baryton trio.
Valencia Baryton Project — Haydn’s trio no. 80, I. Allegro moderato
Baryton’s pluck & spark: Haydn’s intimate trios revived by Valencia Baryton Project
Haydn Baryton Trio n 69 - Finale: Presto
Recordings
Three volumes of Haydn, on Naxos.
Stream or buy — Haydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 1 on NaxosHaydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 1
2021 · Naxos 8.574188
Stream or buy — Haydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 2 on NaxosHaydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 2
2023 · Naxos 8.574504
Stream or buy — Haydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 3 on NaxosHaydn: Baryton Trios, Vol. 3
2026 · Naxos 8.574708
The Baryton
By 1800, the baryton had disappeared. It is being written for again.
It has six bowed strings over a fretted fingerboard, with ten metal strings running behind the neck. Those metal strings vibrate sympathetically, adding resonance, but the player can also pluck them with the left thumb while continuing to bow the main strings. Twelve new works have been written for the baryton at the commission of the Valencia Baryton Project.
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