The Valencia Baryton Project
was formed by colleagues from the opera of the Palau de les Arts (Valencia) and the Orchestre Nationale de Montpellier 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 ensemble is the traditional baryton trio – baryton, viola, and violoncello – for which Haydn wrote 123 works of outstanding beauty during his time as the court composer for the Prince Esterhazy of Austria.

With Matthew Baker, one of only a handful baryton performers in the world, the Valencia Baryton Project have delighted audiences in North, Central and South America as well as Europe with what is considered to have been the pinnacle of aristocratic instruments of the classical era. Their work has been described as ‘endlessly fascinating’ (The Piano Trio Society, UK) and featuring a ‘masterful interpretation’ (Diario U Chile).

The Valencia Baryton Project has also expanded to include performances with invited guests such as theorbist Christ Hirst with which their work was featured on the UK’s largest classical music channel, Classic FM, with fellow baryonist Jeremy Brooker and even a Covid – lockdown video project involving triplicating their barytonist, Matt Baker, to perform the Haydn Cassations on all instruments. This was featured as one of the main attractions of the 2021 edition of the prestigious Festival de Semanas Musicales de Frutillar in Chile. Individually, the members of the Valencia Baryton Project have performed in chamber ensembles such as the Quarteto Radamés Gnattali, Elan Quintet, Gogmagogs and Trio Vanguardia and with orchestras such as the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and BBC Philharmonic amongst others. Beyond classical music, they have also worked with leading artists such as Gilberto Gil, Bob Mintzer, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Caetano Veloso.

The Valencia Baryton Project are pleased to have recorded Naxos Records’ first ever baryton CD, launching a new series for the label.