NOW Ensemble members Erin Lesser, Mark Dancigers and Michael Mizrahi (from left) perform at the UCF Performing Arts Center Music building on Tuesday night.
Rachel Jones
Seated in a harmonious semi-circle, the NOW Ensemble swayed and pulsed with the melodies of its five-piece concert on Tuesday night in the UCF Performing Arts Center Music building.
The NOW Ensemble — a quintet founded at the Yale School of Music with a modern approach to classical chamber music — celebrates its 20th season of chart-topping success as the group performs in Florida, said Michael Mizrahi, the NOW Ensemble’s pianist.
The ensemble’s 2011 album “Awake” reached No. 1 on the Amazon Music classical chamber music charts, according to the NOW Ensemble website.
The ensemble was brought to Orlando through its collaboration with UCF Associate Professor Alexander Burtzos, who is composing one of the group’s new pieces, Mizrahi said.
Burtzos’ piece “And the World was Still There” had its world premiere this week alongside the original work of NOW Ensemble’s guitarist Mark Dancigers, titled “Melodic,” Mizrahi said.
NOW Ensemble has worked with over 100 composers and has performed from Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall, according to the NOW Ensemble website.
“It is a privilege to work with good musicians,” Burtzos said. “What matters most is how serious they are in their approach to the music and how deeply they care about expressing the composer’s intention. NOW Ensemble does that, and for a composer it’s very special.”
“And the World was Still There” is based on his poem of the same name that came to him after he woke up to sunlight shining through his windows, Burtzos said.
UCF Vocal Instructor Samantha Barnes Daniel also sang alongside NOW Ensemble as a rare guest artist collaborator on Burtzos’ piece, said Mizrahi.
“It’s a special privilege to share with students to whom I have such a close connection,” Burtzos said.