Gryphon Baryton Trio

COMPOSER NOTE

BROOKE GREEN (b. 1964) Make Your Entrance (world premiere)

Make Your Entrance is partly about body language, the way a performer walks on stage, what they do and don’t reveal. I was also thinking about how various characters in Franz Joseph Haydn’s time might have presented themselves, in particular, at the Esterhazy court in the 1770s when he was writing his baryton trios for Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. This piece is intended to be played without breaks and comprises several sections linked by semi-improvised ‘vamping’ while each of the players walk on stage:

1. Entitlement: Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy: Despite his entitlement he seemed to also have a less arrogant, more human side. What else could explain his desire to play the baryton?
2. The Shy One: Maria Anna von Genzinger: Their correspondence suggests she was the woman Haydn most adored but for reasons of propriety they had to remain strictly friends. Haydn was estranged from his wife and Maria was married to Prince Esterhazy’s physician. She must have been a very fine pianist and quite self-assured underneath the necessary appearance of modesty. 
3. Modesty Comes out of her Shell: Here Maria begins as the apparently Shy One and gradually breaks out of an accompanying bass line role to reveal her assertive self as she audaciously competes with the Prince. 
4. The Disrupter: apparently impatient after waiting so long to come on stage, is actually a rogue Hungarian.
5. Espionage: The rogue Hungarian, masking as a viola player, is casing the joint (Esterhazy Court) for future invasion, inspired by stories of the Countess Ilona.
6. The Hungarians led by Countess Ilona Zringi: After her 3 year defence of Palanak or Mukachevo Castle (which was in Hungary, now Ukraine) she was celebrated as a courageous leader of the Hungarians. She feels the rhythms of the world in 5.
7. A Toast to Papa Haydn: Here I am imagining the court giving a champagne toast to him to make up for the many accolades he didn’t receive at this time. 

The creation of this composition was supported by The Australian Cultural Fund. I am also grateful to Laura Vaughan for its commission and to the Gryphon Baryton Trio for their no holds barred approach!

Note by Brooke Green, 4 August 2025

ARTISTS

GRYPHON BARYTON TRIO

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 magnificent baryton reached its zenith at the court of Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy in 18th-century Vienna during the time of composer Joseph Haydn, and there exists a significant repertoire of chamber music for baryton which is very rarely performed. The Gryphon Baryton Trio joyfully brings this unique soundscape back to life in Australia by enabling this music be performend with its original instrumentation and through the commission of new works for this fascinating instrumental soundscape.

Founded on a passion for the chocolate velvet timbre of a baryton trio, the Gryphon Baryton Trio embodies the essence of artistic expression through its exploration of the harmonious melodies and timeless compositions of the Classical era as well as exploring new music for this unique medium. With a profound respect for musical traditions, our ensemble cultivates a rich cultural experience that transcends time and captivates the hearts of our listeners.

LAURA VAUGHAN, BARYTON

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, Accademia Arcadia and 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.

KATIE YAP, VIOLA

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 explores the nexus of folk, baroque, and new music styles, and a life-long fascination with improvisation. She will create four new works through collaborative composition with partners in crime Emily Sheppard (fiddle/voice), Donald Nicolson (harpsichord/electronics), Bowerbird Collective (violin and cello), and Mindy Meng Wang (guzheng), 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!

JOSEPHINE VAINS, CELLO

Josephine 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.

Josephine is a founding member of Firebird Trio, currently presenting innovative and engaging programs around Australia. Equally at home on modern and period instruments, Josephine performs and records regularly with other ensembles including Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Kammermusik, Accademia Arcadia, Ludovico’s Band, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, Elysium Ensemble and Melbourne Baroque Orchestra.

In 2020 she was the winner of the Moreland Award for Arts and Culture for her contribution to community during Covid-19 lockdown with a series of Letterbox Concerts. She is a Laureate of MICMC 1999 with Trio 303, and was the winner of the inaugural National Chamber Music Competition. She has Honours and Masters degrees in modern and historical performance from Melbourne, Germany and Switzerland.