Alibrandi Catholic Center dances to a new beat with first benefit concert

The Alibrandi Center, Syracuse University’s home for Catholic students, is hosting a benefit concert Friday night. It will be the center’s first.

The concert is an effort to diversify how the organization raises money. Maggie Byrne, the campus minister at the Alibrandi Center, said they hope bringing in local musician Chris Lizzi for the show will both raise money and provide a fun, low-cost event for students.

“(It’s) more than just asking people for money,” Byrne said. “(It’s) creating an event that people would like to go to, that they would pay to go to anyway, and put that money to a good cause.”

The singer is a native of the Syracuse area who grew up in nearby Camillus.  According to his website, Lizzi is a pop rock artist who toured the Northeast before releasing his first full-length album, Step Right In Fall Right Out.

Lizzi’s family is musical too, according to his website. His mother was a vocalist and his father played drums. Because of this, Lizzi incorporates many different genres into his music, such as country, jazz and metal.

The center did not choose Lizzi to perform because he plays religious music, Byrne said.  In fact, his music is all secular.

“He’s a local artist who wants to support good causes in the area,” Byrne said. “He’s really talented.”

Lizzi will perform in the Great Room at the Alibrandi Catholic Center, which is located at 110 Walnut Place, on Friday, Nov. 14.  The concert will start at 6:30 p.m. and will cost $5 for SU students.  Admission for non-SU students is $10.

Byrne said she’s excited about the concert.  “I’ve never seen him perform, but he seems awesome and a really nice guy.  He writes his own music and his style has been described as a mix between Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson.”