Valencia Baryton Project
WHEN: Thursday, February 27, at 7pm
WHERE: Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St., Princeton, NJ
TICKETS: start at $45 (children 5-17 who are accompanied by an adult receive a 50% discount); Accommodations or services can be arranged with two weeks’ notice, contact Mika Godbole at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org or (609) 905-0931; For tickets: princetonsymphony.org or 609-497-0020. (Photo by Alex Baker)
Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents the Valencia Baryton Project in the second concert of its new chamber series at Trinity Church. The performance features Matthew Baker on baryton (a cross between the viol da gamba and lirone) with violist Brett Walfish and cellist Ismar Gomes.
Music of the baryton will be showcased at the next concert on the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO)’s new chamber music series at Trinity Church in Princeton. The baryton is an ancient and little-known 17th- and 18th-Century string instrument, a cross between the viol da gamba and lirone, with 10 resonating and plucked strings down its back. The baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension.
In addition to traditional trios by Haydn, the
ensemble will also perform works by modern-day composers. Written specially for
the Valencia Baryton Project, John Pickup’s Dragonslayer’s
Lament (2023) and Steven Zink’s three-movement Baryton Trio
No. 1 (2023) demonstrate the versatility of the instrument.
The Valencia Baryton Project was
founded by Valencia-based barytonist Matthew Baker, one of only a
handful of baryton performers in the world, with the vision of performing the
nearly 160 works written by Franz Joseph Haydn for the baryton, as well as
compositions by other composers, both modern and classical. At the heart of the
repertoire is the traditional baryton trio—baryton, viola, and cello—for which
Haydn wrote 123 works of outstanding beauty during his time as court composer
for Prince Esterhazy of Austria.
Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.
Accessibility
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is committed to
ensuring all programming is accessible for everyone, working with venues such
as Richardson Auditorium to provide needed services. Contact Mika Godbole for
questions about available services at mgodbole@princetonsymphony.org
or (609) 905-0931. Note: some services require at least two weeks’ notice to
arrange.
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO)
is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s
finest music organizations, a position established through performances of
beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive
network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by
Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral,
pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by
lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Its
flagship summer program the Princeton Festival brings an array
of performing arts and artists to Princeton during multiple weeks in June.
Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and
impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts
organizations that culminate in students attending a live orchestral
performance. The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community
and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s
highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from
the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has
been acknowledged with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland
Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in
Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of
Princeton University.
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