TRIO WITH A TWIST: Most people are unfamiliar with the baryton, a 17th- and-18th-century string instrument that is the focus of a performance by the Valencia Baryton Project on February 27 at Trinity Church. (Photo by Greg Kindred)

On Thursday, February 27 at 7 p.m., music of the baryton will be showcased at a concert by the Valencia Baryton Project at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street. The concert is part of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s new chamber music series.

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 srings down its back. The baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension. The Project’s trio consists of Matthew Baker on baryton with violist Brett Walfish and cellist Ismar Gomes.

In addition to traditional trios by Haydn, the ensemble will 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 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 during his time as court composer for Prince Esterhazy of Austria.

General admission tickets for each of the four chamber concerts are available for $45 per person. Youths 5-17 receive a 50 percent discount with an adult purchase. Visit princetonsymphony.org or call (609) 497-0020.