The SYZYGY Trio, a professional chamber ensemble featuring the unique instrumentation of bassoon, tuba, and piano, has released its debut album, Three Celestial Objects in Perfect Alignment, now available on all major streaming platforms. The Trio includes K-State faculty from the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance including Susan Maxwell (bassoon/flute), Steven Maxwell (tuba), and Amanda Arrington (piano).
The four-work album reflects the Trio’s commitment to championing new music written specifically for their distinctive combination of instruments, alongside beloved works from standard repertoire arranged for the instrumentation. The recording features Windfall (2025), a world-premiere work by Kansas-born composer and K-State alumna Grace Baugher Dunlap, who earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from K-State.
In addition to Baugher Dunlap’s Windfall, the album features After Manhattan: Duets for Bassoon and Tuba (2022) by acclaimed American composer Gwyneth Walker — dedicated to Steven and Susan Maxwell — and Conversations (2005) by the late Canadian-American composer Barbara York, rewritten at the request of the Trio for their instrumentation. The album concludes with a reimagining of Johannes Brahms’s beloved Trio in E-flat, Op. 40 (1865), with flute and tuba in place of the traditional violin and horn.
“The SYZYGY Trio is passionate about performing for diverse audiences and introducing their sound to listeners everywhere,” the ensemble says. “This album represents our commitment to expanding the repertoire for this unique combination of instruments.”
Three Celestial Objects in Perfect Alignment is available now on Spotify, YouTube, and other major streaming platforms. Digital liner notes were authored by Craig B. Parker, Ph.D., of the K-State School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, and are available at syzygytrio.com/album.
