Internationally-Acclaimed Musician to Play ‘Red Violin’ at Glencairn Museum

Violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn will play the famed 1720 “Red Violin” when she, three other acclaimed musicians, and an ensemble from Bryn Athyn College making its debut, perform March 23 at Glencairn Museum to raise funds for the college music program and pay tribute to one of the area’s preeminent backers of classical music.

The second Lachlan Pitcairn Music Fund concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Glencairn, a museum of religious history and art, 1001 Cathedral Rd., Bryn Athyn. For an additional charge, visitors 21 and older can meet the musicians at a post-concert wine and dessert reception.

The music fund is named for the 89-year-old Pitcairn, the seventh of nine children of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn - whose family home now houses the museum - and a grandchild of industrialist John Pitcairn. A prominent supporter of classical music in the region, Pitcairn today assists Glencairn Museum with its concert series.

Elizabeth Pitcairn, the great niece of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn and Lachlan’s cousin, has performed to rave reviews with some of the world’s top orchestras, and has recorded several critically acclaimed CDs. She plays the red Mendelssohn Stradivarius, which she acquired through Christie’s Auction in 1990, and which is said to have inspired the Academy Award-winning film, “The Red Violin.” She collaborated with Lionsgate Films for a documentary on the Red Violin, with interviews by Pitcairn and Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano.

The fund at Bryn Athyn College supports music education, said Hannah Jin Cole, co-coordinator of the event and one of the musicians performing at the concert.
“The money raised is for the purpose of providing scholarships for continued music education,” she said. “The first concert went very well and we already have awarded student scholarships.”

In addition to Elizabeth Pitcairn and Cole (violin), performing will be Yumi Kendall (cello) and Jungeun Kim (piano), alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Cole, a graduate of the Curtis Institute, as well, and a music instructor at Bryn Athn College, also will perform with the Bryn Athyn College Ensemble, which will be making its debut. Other ensemble members are BAC students Will O'Conner on the cello and Yuna Lee on piano.

Cole, who has captured numerous music competitions, is a former member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Baltimore Symphony. Kim, a prize-winning pianist who has performed worldwide, is a faculty member at the Curtis Institute. Kendall is assistant principal cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
“I’m excited to have Yumi join us this year,” said Cole, “and to have the first Bryn Athyn College Ensemble performance. The ensemble is a perfect example of continued music education for students who love music but do not or cannot attend music school. These students are passionate about music and have established a certain level of playing. We provide them with opportunities to continue their education as well as perform.”

The Music Fund concert will include pieces by Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky, as well as a work Elizabeth Pitcairn will announce on stage.

Admission to the concert is $20; $50 for the concert and reception. Tickets may be purchased online at www.glencairnmuseum.org or at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.

For additional information, visit www.glencairnmuseum.org or call 267-502-4864.