Descent into Madness is Sesquisharp Production's second concert, in which we invited the audience and musicians to join us as we went down the rabbit hole into insanity.
Descent into Madness is a concert of music inspired by theatrical and operatic mad scenes. Playing on themes of madness, exhibitionism, humour and contrast, the music you will hear tonight will be entertaining, shocking, provoking and fun. The concept of madness has intrigued composers throughout the ages, as evidenced by tonight’s repertoire which spans over two centuries. We invite you to join us as we descend into musical madness with music by Donizetti, Berg, Offenbach, Beethoven, Gounod, Berio and the world premiere of a new work by Ryan Keebaugh.
“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” - Aristotle
Baritone Mark Wilkinson pursues an eclectic path as a performing artist. Whether dancing on stage, serving as a soloist in a Handel oratorio, conducting alongside Margaret Atwood, giving a recital in Austria, singing jazz in a restaurant, portraying any number of roles in a play/opera, or recording commercial voices, Mark enjoys bringing a wealth of diverse experiences to each new project. He holds a master's degree in music from the University of Alberta and has pursued further studies at the Franz-Schubert-Institut. This is his début with Sesquisharp Productions.
Ryan Keebaugh is a composer, conductor, and sound artist residing in Virginia. Ryan’s work in recent years has explored a fusion of natural sonic environments with spectral and monochromatic textures influenced by his interests in the environment, visual art, and spirituality. His work is saturated by themes of stillness, drone, atmosphere, minimalism, and nature. Ryan’s works have been performed by the Great Noise Ensemble, members of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Catholic University of America Orchestra and Chorus, and many other world class musicians and ensembles.
Featuring music by Gounod, Berio, Beethovan (not included here) and the world premiere of the Sesquisharp commissioned work Descent into Madness by Ryan Keebaugh.
Sesquisharp Productions is a production company based out of Ottawa, Canada which develops new and cutting edge musical
productions while also promoting established and emerging young artists. We are committed to bringing together composers, conductors, directors, choreographers and performers to collaborate and produce compelling and avant-garde performances covering a diverse range of music....more
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