Cellist Sarah Martin of Bryn Athyn joins Elizabeth Pitcairn in concert March 19 at Glencairn

Three students from the Luzerne Music Center in the Adirondacks will perform classical pieces during concert violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn’s program on Saturday, March 19.

The renowned American violin virtuoso, who is president, CEO and artistic director for the Luzerne festival, returns to the Great Hall at Glencairn Museum with her legendary “Red Violin.”

Cellist Sarah Martin of Bryn Athyn will perform Concerto in A minor by Camille Saint-Saëns. Pianist Ellie Taylor of Hatboro will perform Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso and violinist Malachi Ahlert of Kempton, PA, Mozart’s Sonata for violin and piano in E minor K. 304, I. Allegro.

The concert begins at 3:00pm (doors open at 2:30) and seating is limited. General admission is $20, $15 Basic Members, free for Gold and Patron Members. To purchase or order free member tickets through March 16, visit the Museum or call 267.502.2990; reserved seats for Patron Members only, must call. After March 16 tickets will be sold only at the door the day of the concert.

Celebrated as one of America’s most beloved violin soloists, Pitcairn has toured the world with her Red Mendelssohn. As an artist and performer, she is known for musical interpretations that touch audiences on a deeply emotional level. She is joined by pianist Louise Thomas.

For more information on Pitcairn and Thomas and for the musical program list, visit www.glencairnmuseum.org or call 267.502.2990. Glencairn Museum is located at 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Famous red violin
Pitcairn—great-niece of Glencairn’s visionary architect, Raymond Pitcairn—made her New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2000. She has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and made debuts at Walt Disney Concert Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

The 10th Anniversary edition DVD of the 1998 film, The Red Violin, features Ms. Pitcairn and her Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius in a special feature called “The Auction Block.” Although the movie itself is largely fictional, the instrument is the very real and mysterious violin built by Antonio Stradivari around 1720. Renowned for its distinctive sound and playability, the legendary violin went missing for 200 years before resurfacing in Berlin in the 1930s. After a secession of owners, it came to Elizabeth Pitcairn as a 16th birthday gift from her grandfather, Theodore Pitcairn. He purchased the Red Mendelssohn at a Christie’s auction in 1990 for a reported $1.7 million.

Pitcairn began the violin at age three and performed her first concerto with orchestra at 14. Her path led her to study violin in Los Angeles with Robert Lipsett at the USC Thornton School of Music. She is currently a member of the distinguished faculty at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Pitcairn is president, CEO and artistic director of the Luzerne Music Center Festival, a summer camp for gifted young musicians ages 9 to 18 in the Adirondacks of New York. A Bucks County native, she currently resides in Los Angeles, California.