Glencairn Museum presents Elizabeth Pitcairn in concert

Renowned American violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn will perform in concert with her “Red Violin” in the Great Hall at Glencairn Museum on Sunday, March 20.

The concert begins at 3:00pm (doors open at 2:30). General admission: $20 ($15 for Basic Members, free for Gold and Patron Members.) Tickets may be purchased in advance through March 17 at Glencairn or by calling the Museum’s event line: 267.502.2990. After March 17 tickets will be sold only at the door. Seating is limited.

Pitcairn—great-niece of Glencairn’s visionary architect, Raymond Pitcairn—is the current owner of the Red Violin. The topic of the fictionalized 1998 movie of the same name, its moniker and lore come from the unique red stain markings, depicted in the Academy Award-winning movie as coming from human blood.

Although the movie is largely fictional, the instrument itself is the very real and mysterious Red Mendelssohn 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.

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.

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.

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.