Violinist Will Perform at Glencairn

It will be a poignant performance for violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn when she brings her 1720 “Red Violin” to Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn in a concert Nov. 16 she’s dedicating to her cousin, Lachlan Pitcairn, a prominent supporter of classical music in the region, who died Sept. 11 at the age of 91.

Lachlan was the seventh of nine children of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn, and a grandson of industrialist John Pitcairn. He grew up in the Romanesque-style castle that today houses the museum of religious history and art. Over the decades, Pitcairn’s name has become synonymous with music as a patron of musical organizations and individual musicians. He was a retired performing cellist, and in recent years assisted Glencairn with its music series. The Lachlan Pitcairn Music Fund, established three years ago raises funds for the Bryn Athyn College music program.

For the acclaimed violinist and her uncle, music was “a special bond,” she said.

“I will always remember him in his front-row seat at Glencairn during my concerts,” said Pitcairn, who made her Glencairn debut in 1989 at age 15. “I’d look out at his smiling face to see his approval. He was always very supportive of my career and always attended every performance in the Philadelphia area.”

She said she holds dear memories of being with her uncle at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.

“He would come up for concerts and take me and my friends to dinner,” she said. “He was so thrilled when I was accepted to the program. We also had great times together in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Pitcairn clan gatherings.”

Elizabeth Pitcairn 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.” The 2008 10th Anniversary edition DVD of the film features Pitcairn and her instrument in a special feature documentary called "The Auction Block."

Podgurski, who will accompany Pitcairn at Glencairn, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. She has been featured in numerous television and radio broadcasts and has performed with world-renowned artists, as well as with esteemed symphonies and orchestras.

The program for the concert includes Fritz Kreisller’s Preludium and Allegro; Mozart’s Sonata No. 32 in B-flat Major K. 454, Largo – Allegro, Andante, Allegretto; Beethoven’s Sonata No. 7 in C minor Op. 30 no. 2; Danielpour’s “River of Light;” Massenet’s Meditation from “Thais” and others.

Admission is $20; $15 for museum members and students with ID. Tickets are sold only at the door, 30 minutes prior to the concert.