World Renowned Rachel Barton Pine Performs with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Friends and Artists,

This weekend the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine after postponing her presence with the orchestra originally slated for last May.

Pine is recognized as one of the nation's premier violin soloists, having begun her career as a child virtuoso performing with the Chicago Symphony at age 10, and in 1992 becoming the first American and youngest winner of the Johann Sebastian Bach International Violin Competition. Her blossoming career was nearly cut short, when at age 20 the strap of her violin case became lodged in the door of a Chicago commuter train. Pine was dragged several hundred feet with the train, which led to the amputation of her left leg. Despite this traumatic and life threatening event, Pine was performing within 5 months of the incident.


In 2001, the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation was established to provide young musicians of promise with world-class and historic instruments that would otherwise be out of the budget of a non-professional performer. The foundation acts as the steward for more than 40 instruments and bows, many of which are on loan from anonymous patrons and include violins from some of the most historically important luthiers.


Under the direction of Maestro Salvador Brotons, the orchestra will perform works by Glazunov and Chadwick, though the most anticipated selection of the program is Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto.


Escaping the Nazi regime in 1934, Korngold established himself as one of Hollywood's most sought after composers, scoring the majority of the swashbuckler films of the 1930s and 40s, including Captain Blood (1935), The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938), The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex (1939), The Sea Hawk (1940), and The Sea Wolf (1941). Korngold's musical legacy continues to thrive through his granddaughter Katherin, a former violinist with Oregon Ballet Theatre.


The performances are Saturday, May 21st at 7 PM and Sunday, May 22nd at 3 PM at Skyview Auditorium, 1300 NW 139th Street, Vancouver. Single tickets are $30 and available online or by calling 360-735-7278.