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78 years later, violinist follows father's footsteps to Bryn Athyn In 1926, as part of the renowned Flonzaley Quartet, cellist Ywan d’Archambeau played for guests in the Bryn Athyn home of his friends Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn. Seventy-eight years later, the Pitcairns’ son has invited d’Archambeau’s son, internationally-acclaimed violinist Pierre d’Archambeau, to perform April 25 for a slightly larger audience, but in a similar venue. The elder d’Archambeau performed with the Flonzaley Quartet - celebrated in both Europe and the U.S. - at Cairnwood, a home built by Raymond Pitcairn’s parents and where Lachlan Pitcairn, his siblings and parents lived until their adjacent home, Glencairn, was completed in 1939. Lachlan Pitcairn has invited Pierre d’Archambeau to perform at Glencairn, now a museum of religious history. Pierre d’Archambeau, who began the study of violin at the age of 4, gave his first recital in the U.S. at age 9. Numerous engagements followed and, in 1948, he won the International Competition in Geneva. In 1951, he was laureate of the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium international competition and in 1967 won the Medal of the Eugene Ysaye Foundation. He was the first violinist to play his six sonatas for violin unaccompanied in one recital. He also played the 24 caprices by Paganini integrally, as well as the six Bach sonatas and partitas. d’Archambeau, who now lives on Cape Cod, has toured as a soloist in major cities throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia Minor and is founder of the Foyer musical d’Archambeau, an annual cycle of summer concerts and courses in Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes. Through the years, d’Archambeau’s circle of friends and associates has included Arturo Toscanini, Pablo Casals, his teacher Jacques Thibaud, Nadia Boulanger and Fritz Kreisler who left him one of his violins, the famous Daniel Parker (1715). The program at Glencairn, which begins at 3 p.m. will include: Sonata No. 1 in G minor – Bach; Sonata in B Flat Major – Geminiani; Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Opus 27 – Ysaye; and Four Caprices – Paganini. Admission is $8; $4 for museum members and students. Children 5 and under are free. Information: 215-938-2600 or www.glencairnmuseum.org. Glencairn Museum is located at 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn.
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