Gryphon Baryton Trio

This concert is a rare chance to hear some of the fascinating chamber works for baryton by Joseph Haydn live, performed with their intended instrumentation.  The magnificent baryton, an instrument similar to a bass viol but with an extra course of metal sympathetic strings, was an extraordinary 18th-century instrument much favoured by Haydn's longtime employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy.  Haydn composed over 130 works for it, the majority of which taking the form of Divertimenti for baryton, viola and ‘cello - the so-called 'Baryton Trios' in which the baryton plays a critical role. These delightful works are full of invention, wit and colour, with the unique combination of low instruments creating unique and beautiful sonority.  This programme includes works by Haydn and for this performance we are excited to be giving the Sydney premier of Make Your Entrance by Brooke Green, a playful exploration of some of the inhabitants of the Esterhazy court where Haydn worked for many years. 

Programme

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento in D major Hob. XI:113
Divertimento in A minor Hob. XI:87
Baryton Trio in D major Hob XI:97

Brooke Green
Make Your Entrance

The Gryphon Baryton Trio draws on the combined chamber music and historical performance practice experience of Laura Vaughan (baryton), Katie Yap (Classical viola) and Josephine Vains (Classical cello). The little-known baryton is a magnificent Classical instrument similar in size to a cello, with 6 gut bowed strings plus a course of 10 metal strings which resonate sympathetically and are also plucked like a harp. This magnificent instrument reached its zenith at the court of Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy in Vienna during the time of composer Joseph Haydn, who left us with a very large and important body of chamber music for baryton which is very rarely performed.

Josephine Vains is a versatile and engaging performer, heard regularly in concert around Australia and overseas as a cellist and chamber musician. She has worked with myriad artists on diverse projects including piano trio / quartet / quintet, string quartet, opera, baroque ensembles, contemporary and electronic music, and Argentine tango music. She is a passionate educator, currently training the next generation of musicians at Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. She is a regular tutor for Melbourne and Australian Youth Orchestra, Mt. Buller Chamber Music, Clunes Music, Pettman Academy (NZ) and for iartschool (China). Currently, Josephine can be heard performing in Australia on modern and period instruments with Firebird Trio, Accademia Arcadia, Genesis Baroque, Gryphon Baryton Trio, CellOZ, and with Ensemble Old and New (EON) amongst others. She performs on a Thomas Dodd Cello made in 1800 (London).

Melbourne-based viola da gamba specialist Laura Vaughan is a dynamic and well-recognised member of the early music movement in Australia.  Following studies with Miriam Morris at the University of Melbourne and Wieland Kuijken and Philippe Pierlot at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, she has established an active performing career as a versatile musician, encompassing a wide range of solo and chamber repertoire on viola da gamba, violone, lirone and baryton across Australasia.  As well as a deep and abiding interest in historical performance practice of music involving viols from the 16th to mid 18th centuries, she also fosters new compositions for these venerable instruments from the past.  Passionate about the unique sound world of the viol, Laura is committed to bringing this exquisite repertoire to audiences around the world.

Laura can be heard regularly on ABC Classic FM as a soloist and chamber musician and appears on numerous CD recordings, including solo recordings on the Move and Paladino labels.  In addition to solo performances, she works regularly with many Australian early music ensembles including the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Orchestra of the Antipodes, Genesis Baroque, Van Diemen’s Band, Adelaide Baroque, Consortium, and is a founding member of the multiple ARIA award nominated trio Latitude 37 and the Gryphon Baryton Trio.  Laura has appeared with the Tasmanian, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, Auckland Philharmonia, and teaches at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
When not playing the viol, Laura can usually be found hanging out with her two children, her Tibetan Spaniels Abelard and Heloise, and a good Melbourne coffee.

Modern and baroque violist Katie Yap plays regularly with Australia’s finest ensembles including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Van Diemen's Band, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and has joined groups like the Academy of Ancient Music overseas. Her greatest love is chamber music, and she is a founding member of prog-baroque quartet Croissants & Whiskey, the Chrysalis Harp Trio, and crossover folk/baroque group Wattleseed Ensemble.

Katie is fascinated by music’s ability to tell stories and bring people together. As the 2022 Freedman Fellow, her project Multitudes explored the nexus of folk, baroque, and new music styles, and a life-long fascination with improvisation while exploring themes of cultural identity, environmental storytelling and activism, and the physical joy of music-making.

Katie has become known for her curation and project management, and she explores this side of her career through her role as Artistic Director of the 3MBS women-in-music festival, Music, She Wrote and Wattleseed Ensemble. She is also a passionate educator, having taught viola at the University of Queensland and Monash University, and she has an intractable habit of stress-baking, which can make for delicious rehearsal breaks!