The North/South Chamber Orchestra to Highlight Works by Max Lifchitz

The North/South Chamber Orchestra continues its 45th consecutive season on Thursday evening, February 20 when it performs a free admission event highlighting the works of Max Lifchitz, its founder and director.

Soloists joining the ensemble for the evening include violinist Dylan Hamme, violist Colin Brookes, and cellist Sam deCaprio. The in-person event will start at 8 PM and will conclude around 9:30 PM. The concert will be held at the acoustically superior DiMenna Center for Classical Music. 

Registration required for the few remaining seats available. Those wishing to attend should e-mail to reserve a seat.

Active as performer and composer, Max Lifchitz has appeared on concert stages throughout Europe and the Americas. As a composer, he has garnered grants and fellowships from, among others, the ASCAP, Ford, and Guggenheim Foundations, the University of Michigan Society of Fellows, the New York State Individual Artists Program, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Recordings of his works and performances are available on most streaming platforms.

The event will showcase three companion pieces by Max Lifchitz that share similar structural and thematic qualities. They are all grounded in the Baroque stile concertato, a style characterized by the strong contrast and opposition of different sonorities. As the music unfolds, the ensemble gradually challenges the soloist's dominance in the opening soundscape, ultimately leading to a balance between the two groups.

Confrontación (Confrontation) for viola and orchestra was written in 2006 at the invitation of the Pan American Music and Art Research organization. It was premiered during the inaugural Latin American Culture Week in New York City. The piece features a musical discourse that juxtaposes melodic and rhythmic elements from various ethnic origins and historical periods. It includes quotes from "Hanacpachap Cussicuinin"-a polyphonic composition published in Peru in the early 1600s, likely composed by a Quechua music student-as well as a Spanish Renaissance romance titled "Vos me mataste" ("You have slain me") and the poignant North African melody "Ajjamal Wanna" (Caravan Song). The soloist for the performance of this work will be Colin Brookes, a strong advocate for new music and unconventional collaborations. Trained at Juilliard and Yale, Brookes is a founding member of the prize-winning Ulysses Quartet. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, his work as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher has led him to perform in cities across the United States, Europe, and the Americas. He currently plays on an Italian 19th-century viola and bows generously on loan from the Maestro Foundation.

Intervencion (Intervention) for violin and orchestra was written in 1976 at the request of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Rising young violinist Dylan Hamme will be the soloist for the occasion. At age eleven, Dylan was featured on NBC's Today Show performing with violinist Joshua Bell. Currently completing his undergraduate studies at The Juilliard School, Dylan has been a featured artist on many recital series such as the IVC Gold Winners' Concert in NYC, Young Artists Concert Series at First Presbyterian Church (Verona, NJ); Music on a Sunday Afternoon Young Artist Series (Teaneck Library, NJ), Montclair Music Club's Annual Young Artist Concert (NJ), and the Music for the Soul livestream concert series honoring NYC's Healthcare heroes and Women's History Month. He has also performed at the Colorado College Summer Festival and in Europe at the AIMS and Schleswig-Holstein Festivals.

Night Voices No. 13 for cello and orchestra was written in 1993 on commission from Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto. The single-movement work demands the utmost virtuosity and endurance from the soloist. Its postmodern musical language juxtaposes ghostlike harmonies derived from a Mexican folk tune with more straightforward diatonic passages and avant-garde techniques. These diverse elements wander into the musical texture as if appearing through a dream-like mist. Cellist Sam DeCaprio will perform the solo part. He was recently awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School, along with a Norman Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed worldwide and has been featured on radio programs, including WQXR in New York, WFMT in Chicago, NPR, and WCNI. He has also recorded for Delos, ECM Records, MSR Classics, and Nonesuch. DeCaprio has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. He regularly collaborates with the Metropolis Ensemble and the New York Classical Players.

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