PUTNAM VALLEY – Woodbury historian Alex Prizgintas traveled to Putnam Valley Saturday with his amplified cello, presenting songs of patriotism, praise and protest as part of the fabric that weaves America’s differences into its distinct strength.

Prizgintas performed before some 250 residents at the Leonard Wagner Memorial Park in a program sponsored by the Putnam Valley Historical Society.

The president of the Woodbury Historical Society explained that “America’s democracy is based upon the freedoms of speech and religion as part of its cornerstone.”

The enthusiastic gathering warmly received key hymns, patriotic anthems, and songs of solidarity and resistance.

Classically trained, Prizgintas employed non-classical tools like distortion, delay, and the iconic “wah-wah” guitar pedals, symbolic of 1960s rock’ n’ roll bands , in conjunction with a looping station.

Prizgintas told the audience: “Not only do I gather music but also reinterpret it with tools such as a mixer and an amp, and share it in a format that is part drama, part concert, a bit of storytelling, and mostly a show.”

The artist graduated summa cum laude with an undergraduate degree in regional history from Marist College and a graduate degree in public administration from Marist.



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