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Elizabeth Pitcairn in Concert | Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 | Valley Forge & Montgomery

Posted:February, 20 2015

The celebrated American violin virtuoso Elizabeth Pitcairn returns to Glencairn Museum, this year with fellow artists Evan Drachman and Mary Au. Curtis graduate Evan Drachman is a well-traveled and oft-recorded cellist who also specializes in live classical music presentations. Hailed as a talented chamber collaborator and accompanist, Mary Au has taught and performed around the world. Elizabeth will play the famous Stradivarius for this program and will be signing copies of The Red Violin DVD and various CD recordings, which will be available for purchase.

Their program on the 15th will include:

Chaconne in G Minor for violin and piano by Tomaso Antonio Vitali (1663-1745), arranged by Léopold Charlier according to an earlier edition by Ferdinand David (1810-1873) and revised for the concert stage by Leopold Auer (1845-1930).

Seven Variations for cello and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). The variations are in E-flat Major, WoO 46 (1801) on the aria Bei Männern, welche Liebe Fühlen from “The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Prayer for solo cello (December, 1974), by Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976). This improvisation will be in honor of Jonathan Drachman.

Adagio and Rondo for cello and piano by Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), arranged by Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976).

Trio for piano, violin and cello in A Minor, Op. 50 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

‘À la mémoire d’un grand artiste’ (‘In memory of a great artist’)
I. Pezzo elegiaco, Moderato assai – Allegro giusto
II. Tema con variazioni
A. Tema: Andante con moto
Var. I through Var. XI
B. Variazioni Finale e coda: Allegretto risoluto e con fuoco
[Coda] Andante con moto – Lugubre (L’istesso tempo)

About the Artists:

American violin soloist Elizabeth Pitcairn made her New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2000 and she has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She made debuts at Walt Disney Concert Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She is the 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. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she resides in Los Angeles. Ms. Pitcairn received her degree from the University of Southern California where she studied with renowned professor Robert Lipsett. Ms. Pitcairn is on faculty at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. The 10th Anniversary edition DVD of The Red Violin film features Ms. Pitcairn and the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius in a special feature called “The Auction Block”.

Evan Drachman, Founder and Artistic Director of the Piatigorsky Foundation, has combined musical talent with artistic vision to create a rich and distinctive musical career. In addition to being a concert cellist with worldwide experience, Drachman is one of the most respected authorities on live classical music presentations. In honor of his grandfather, the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Drachman founded the Piatigorsky Foundation in 1990 with the mission to make live classical music a part of the fabric of everyday life for underserved communities throughout the United States. “Evan Drachman possesses in abundance two qualities for which his grandfather was revered: the ability to make the cello imitate the human singing voice and…the ability to tell a story” (The Baltimore Sun) His recordings include A Frog He Went a Courting, Infinity, Romance and Revelation, and Full Circle. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Drachman has also studied at the Peabody and the New England Conservatories. His principal teachers include Luis Garcia-Renart, Orlando Cole, William Pleeth, Laurence Lesser, and Stephen Kates. Drachman lives in Maryland with his wife Joan and their two sons, Eli and Oliver. (Image: Clark James Mishler.)

Hong Kong born Mary Au 歐慧賢 is a collaborative artist, chamber musician, solo pianist and master teacher with worldwide experience. Hailed for her “sensitive, seamless transition between chamber music collaboration and piano accompaniment” (Cariaga, LA Times critic), Ms. Au has collaborated with renowned artists from around the globe, including the legendary Tchaikovsky Gold Medalist Nathaniel Rosen and Opera Superstar Christine Brewer. Known for her “impassioned music making and superb artistry” (Rosen) and active involvement on the contemporary music scene, Au is equally adept at collaborating with strings, vocals and other orchestral instruments. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and University of Southern California and a committed advocate of music education, Au presents master classes in the United States and China and teaches at the California State University, Dominguez Hills. As a former executive of the GRAMMY Awards, Mary Au dedicates herself to a lifetime of sharing her music with audiences from all walks of life. “To have the opportunity to share my music with others, and bring joy to those whose paths I cross, is one of the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon me.”