Bach to Rock: A Cello Show with Alex Prizgintas at the Ethelbert B. Crawford Library

Author, historian, and musician Alex Prizgintas of Orange County has built a career blending harmonies with the rich histories of composers and songwriters from decades past, while pushing the classical cello into unique, unexpected realms. The Poughkeepsie Journal recently wrote that Alex’s work both “inspires and amazes,” while the Times Herald-Record states that “he pushes the limits.” They also wrote that he “brings his knowledge and interest in history and music together.”

According to Alex, “Most often, cellists play concerts. I’m a little different in that I try to give a show.” Alex works to give a “show” that offers more give-and-take with the audience while sharing information about the background behind the melodies and the melody makers. “Some of my favorite selections in the Bach to Rock program include the Baroque cello suites of J.S. Bach, Latin tangos such as Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” and opera selections like Donizetti’s “Una Furtiva Lagrima” and Verdi’s “La Donna Mobile,” says Alex. “I enjoy the lyricism of opera, especially when contrasted by the counterpoint of jazz by masters like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dave Brubeck. And then, there are times when I stray towards the rebellion of the mid-to-late 60s British Invasion with groups like Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Kinks, and The Zombies—to name just a few.”