About Us
The SYZYGY Trio is a professional chamber ensemble with a distinct sound. Our unique twist is the instrumentation of bassoon, tuba, and piano! These professional musicians are passionate about performing for a diverse audience and to have an opportunity to introduce their sound to listeners everywhere.
The Trio is also passionate about finding and commissioning new music for this intriguing combination of instruments. They have commissioned numerous pieces for this innovative chamber ensemble including, the Co-op Press Grant for commissioning a new work for their instrumentation from the prize winning composer, Sy Brandon. They have also premiered a number of new works including Windfall by Grace Baugher-Dunlap and Conversations for Bassoon, Tuba, and Piano by Barbara York.
The ensemble has performed throughout the United States on concert series, at colleges and conservatories, and have been invited artists performing at premier conferences including the International Double Reed Society Conference and the International Tuba Euphonium Conference.
The trio is also at home performing for children and young adults. They have been featured artists and have had residencies at high schools and elementary schools throughout the state of Kansas.
The Trio is also passionate about finding and commissioning new music for this intriguing combination of instruments. They have commissioned numerous pieces for this innovative chamber ensemble including, the Co-op Press Grant for commissioning a new work for their instrumentation from the prize winning composer, Sy Brandon. They have also premiered a number of new works including Windfall by Grace Baugher-Dunlap and Conversations for Bassoon, Tuba, and Piano by Barbara York.
The ensemble has performed throughout the United States on concert series, at colleges and conservatories, and have been invited artists performing at premier conferences including the International Double Reed Society Conference and the International Tuba Euphonium Conference.
The trio is also at home performing for children and young adults. They have been featured artists and have had residencies at high schools and elementary schools throughout the state of Kansas.
Members
|
Susan Gustavson Maxwell has dedicated her career to three dimensions of musicianship; she is a teacher, performer and reedmaker. Currently, she teaches Bassoon and Introduction to Music. She has also taught Music Theory, and Leadership in Practice, in the School of Leadership Studies. She performs regularly with the Konza Wind Quintet and the Tallgrass Trio. She is very proud of her students’ accomplishments, which are best viewed at the K-State Bassoon studio website at www.kstatebassoon.weebly.com. One great resource on this website is the “Honk Hotline,” a contact listing of private bassoon teachers in the state of Kansas.
Dr. Maxwell’s teaching includes several areas of special interest. One is the art of playing high notes on the bassoon. This has resulted in a study for bassoonists that has been published by Prairie Dawg Press. It includes scale practice, short melodic exercises, and a fingering chart (www.prairiedawgpress.com). Some of Dr. Maxwell’s performance engagements have included substitute positions with The Kansas City Symphony, The Kansas City Lyric Opera, The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, The Tulsa Philharmonic, The Lake Shore Symphony in Chicago, Illinois, Orquesta Sinfónica de Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico, and a two-year position with The Wichita Symphony in Wichita, Kansas. |
|
Dr. Steven Maxwell is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Kansas State University. He is an active clinician, adjudicator, and soloist throughout the United States and Europe and has been active internationally performing at prestigious conferences including the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference and the U. S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Workshop. He has also performed at numerous regional conferences over the years including the Great Plains, South Central, and Rocky Mountain Conference.
Dr. Maxwell has performed as principal tuba with the Salina Symphony, Wichita Grand Opera, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, Central Iowa Symphony, Kansas City Puccini Festival Orchestra and has been a member of the award winning Fountain City Brass Band. Dr. Maxwell is an associate editor for the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA) Journal. He is a member ITEA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. Maxwell is a champion of new music for tuba and euphonium and has commissioned over fifty works for solo tuba, solo euphonium, and tuba-euphonium ensemble. He featured six of these new works on his first solo album entitled “Pretty Please?” which was released in 2019. Dr. Maxwell is proud to be a Willson Performing Artist. |
|
|
Amanda Arrington is Senior Professor of Practice and Faculty Collaborative Pianist at Kansas State University, where she performs in numerous performances each year with students, faculty, and guest artists. An advocate for new music, she has premiered works at the International Double Reed Society Conference, National Flute Association Conference, World Saxophone Congress, International Trumpet Guild Conference, ClarinetFest, and the Canadian Flute Convention.
As a recording artist and collaborator, Amanda’s discography includes Lyric for Truelove, The Light Is the Same, Serenade, Ruminations, Wanderlust: The Flute Music of David Amram, String to Silver: Flute Transcriptions of Works in the Romantic Tradition, and more—all available on major streaming platforms. She is co-founder of Radium Recordings, a classical music label she runs with her husband and recording engineer, Owen Taylor. Amanda holds a Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Central Missouri and a Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State University. In 2024, she received the MTD Excellence Award from K-State’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in recognition of her service and artistry. |