T-R FILE PHOTO The Valencia Baryton Project, which features Sioux City native Matthew Baker on the namesake instrument, will perform at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) Wednesday night. They first visited the community last April.

When the Valencia Baryton Project — which was then comprised of Sioux City native Matthew Baker on the unique namesake instrument, violist Estevan de Almeida Reis and cellist Alex Friedhoff — made its first trip to Marshalltown almost exactly a year ago, they received an enthusiastic welcome from fans of classical music and local students who might aspire to follow in their footsteps someday, playing at both the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center and Tannin Wine Bar.

After a year out on the road across the U.S. and Canada, the Valencia Baryton Project will be back in town Wednesday night for the first live musical performance at the newly remodeled Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) at 709 S. Center St. since it reopened last fall. For Baker, the stop is extra special as he’ll get the chance to reconnect with his aunt, Lenihan Intermediate School Associate Principal Liz Jurgensen.

“It’ll be a huge pleasure to be back in Marshalltown this next week. It was such a great reception last time that it feels like home!” Baker said.

Those who saw the project last time around will notice a few new faces — cellist Amy Domingues and violist Brett Walfish are now in the lineup — and they will be presenting the second performance ever of a new work written for them by Canadian composer Steve Zink. Last year, Zink’s piece ‘The River’ was one of the most popular of their set.

As previous reporting in the T-R indicated, the Baryton, a 16-string instrument described as a cross between the viola de gamba and the lirone, is one of the world’s rarest instruments, and Baker considers it an honor to carry on a rich tradition of players dating back centuries.

The show will begin with a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. featuring appetizers, a cash bar and a meet and greet with the group followed by a concert from 7 to 8:30. For ticket information, contact the MACC by calling 641-758-3005 or emailing director@maccia.org.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.