Hudson Valley electric cellist putting on show at Beacon cafe
In the past few years, we have all become more accustomed to getting different items delivered to our homes. Whether through Amazon, Grubhub or Instacart, these services have made ordering and having items delivered to our homes much easier.
Because of this, when I heard of Alex Prizgintas' “Uber Arts: Delivering Food for the Soul” program, I was immediately intrigued to know more. Alex’s program can be enjoyed at the Towne Crier Café in Beacon on Aug. 18 at 11:30 a.m. alongside the Sunday brunch.
The Towne Crier Café has been a cornerstone of New York’s Hudson Valley entertainment industry since 1972. It began as a stagecoach stop in the hamlet of Beekmanville, then relocated to the town of Pawling and moved once more to its current site in the flourishing arts hub of Beacon. The Towne Crier has featured world-class talent in an intimate setting and offers what The New York Times called “Down-home access to world-class performers.”
Prizgintas brings a rather diverse background to his musical performances. He earned his BA from Marist College, summa cum laude, with a minor in Hudson River Valley studies and a concentration in public history. From there, he went on to earn his master's in Public Administration from Marist.
As a musician, Prizgintas has more than 10 years of classical training on the cello. With tools such as electric guitar effect pedals and a BOSS RC-300 looping station, however, he pushes the limits of this acoustic instrument to achieve sounds of jazz, rock 'n' roll, Latin tangos, Broadway classics, and more.
“Music has given me an escape in a world that can be hectic,” said Prizgintas, who has autism and synesthesia.
Prizgintas began his electric cello concerts in November 2021 with a program called “Bach to Rock”— now shortened to “B-2-R.”
That simple program has expanded into more than 12 concert selections from the “British Invasion” to a “Salute to Broadway,” “Bach to Blues to Jazz” and “America: Songs of Patriotism, Protest, and Praise”— all advertised under the banner of “Uber Arts: Delivering Food for the Soul."
Prizgintas brings his knowledge and interests of history and music together as he shares the background of the musical compositions with the audiences and how they relate and build from each other.
"Some of my favorite selections in the original 'B-2-R' 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 Prizgintas. "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 where I stray towards the rebellion of the mid-to-late 60’s British Invasion with groups like Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Kinks, and The Zombies — to name just a few."
Audiences will be inspired and amazed by hearing the cello played in such a unique way while enjoying an immersive experience with the historical lesson along the way.
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If you go
What: Alex Prizgintas: Electric Cello
Where: Towne Crier, 379 Main St., Beacon
When: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 18
More information: alexprizgintas.com, 845-855-1300
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Electric cello program in Beacon, NY: More about the artist
