Circus Dinogad

Welcome to the bewitching world of Circus Dinogad in which Welsh contralto Hilary Summers, the Dutch theorbo & bass clarinet duo Mike Fentross & Maarten Ornstein and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam converge in a fusion of musical traditions. Formed in Amsterdam in 2022, this new ensemble's journey takes you through ancient melodies, reimagined classics, and innovative original compositions that playfully plunge into the bottomless sea of human emotions.

It all started when Mike Fentross and Maarten Ornstein collaborated with Hilary on a video for a series called Covid Collaborations, which contained multiple videos with vocalists from all over the world in lockdown. Working with Hilary was a real pleasure, and when the Dudok Quartet proposed a collaboration, it seemed only natural to put things together and thus a new septet was born. The first steps of this new group explored more or less familiar areas, namely the boundaries between baroque, renaissance, traditional and improvised music.

The culmination of the album comes in the shape of the Seven Deadly Sins: seven completely new compositions, written by the individual musicians woven seamlessly into the fabric of the album. With this innovative addition, the ensemble's essence evolved, shedding traditional stylistic confines and boldly embarking on audacious musical escapades. The CD of Circus Dinogad is available in November 2023.

Hilary Summers (contralto)
Mike Fentross (theorbo/vihuela)
Maarten Ornstein (bass clarinet)
Judith van Driel en Marleen Wester (violin)
Marie-Louise de Jong (viola)
David Faber (cello)

Photo: Floris Scheplitz