Max Lifchitz was awarded first prize in the 1976 International Gaudeamus Competition for Performers of Twentieth Century Music held in Holland. Robert Commanday, writing for The San Francisco Chronicle described him as "a young composer of brilliant imagination and a stunning, ultra-sensitive pianist." The New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn praised Mr. Lifchitz for his "clean, measured and sensitive performances."

Donal Henahan, also writing for the New York Times, stated "Mr. Lifchitz, who is the enterprising director of North/South Consonance, is also an ambidextrous conductor of complex music. His own piece required him to beat intricate polyrhythms -- not only fairly simple patterns like 4 with one hand against 3 with the other, but also such metrical puzzles as 3 against 11 or 5 against 13."
A graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, Mr. Lifchitz has appeared in concert and recital throughout the US, Latin America and Europe. His CD album devoted to the piano music of Mexico elicited the following comment from Fanfare Magazine: "After several listenings, North/South Recordings No. 1010 is recommended to more than just a specialist audience because of the wide variety of attractive and challenging music that it contains. Lifchitz is a poetic pianist with requisite power to make the many granitic climaxes register. Easily, the most interesting new piano disc so far in 1996."

The American Record Guide commented as follows on Mr. Lifchitz’s most recent release The American Collection (N/SR 1014): "suffice it to say that it would be hard to find a better snapshot of what American composers have been writing for the piano in the past decade than this collection. Lifchitz plays everything with sensitivity and force, where appropriate; and recorded sound is vivid and natural."

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

"The performers, all excellent...North/South Consonance is a high quality ensemble...The listener was rewarded with a diverting sampler of recent compositional styles." — New York Times

"Max Lifchitz's group seeks out intriguing works from across the continent. The North/South Consonance Ensemble is New York's lifeline to the rest of the country." — Village Voice

"Founded in 1980 by Max Lifchitz, North/South Consonance is an excellent contemporary music ensemble, a composers' ensemble. Their CD recordings are of high quality; the packaging and program notes are in line with the quality of the music and performances. Highly recommended." — American Record Guide

"Max Lifchitz, Mexican-born composer, pianist and entrepreneur, has one of the keenest senses anywhere for what belongs with what on a program. North/South Consonance offered a state-of-the art performance of Schönberg's expressionistic masterpiece Pierrot Lunaire." — Times Union/Knight-Ridder Newspapers

"North/South Consonance’s musicians clearly demonstrated their expertise in dealing with music of diverse styles ranging from romanticism to expressionism to jazz derived works." — México City’s Reforma Newspaper

"For more than fifteen years the North/South Consonance Ensemble has championed new chamber music of the Americas. Its yearly concert series in New York City is a well-established forum for lively and adventurous performances, and its seemingly-indefatigable conductor and pianist, Max Lifchitz, has proved to be a true and open-minded friend to contemporary composers of all musical persuasions." — Journal of the International Alliance of Women in Music