Rachel Barton Pine
Encyclopedia
Rachel Barton Pine is a violin
ist from Chicago
. Considered a child prodigy
at the violin, she started playing at the age of 3 and a half. She played at many renowned venues as a child and teenager. She currently tours worldwide as a soloist with prestigious orchestras, plays in a baroque
chamber music
group and a heavy metal band, and has an active recording career.
under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf
at age 10. Her principal teachers were Roland and Almita Vamos
. Home schooling allowed her to practice 8 hours a day. At age 14 she was forced by circumstances to contribute significantly to her family's expenses by taking jobs playing at weddings and in orchestras. Explaining how she managed, she says, "I put on a lot of makeup and pretended I was older than I was."
She attained notable success in a number of violin competitions, for example in 1992 becoming the youngest (at age 17) and the first American gold medal winner at the Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition in Leipzig
, Germany. She also earned 2nd prizes in the József Szigeti Violin Competition (1992) and the International Fritz Kreisler Competition
(1992), as well as awards from the Montreal International Musical Competition
(1991), the Paganini Competition
(1993), and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
(1993).
, where she taught violin lessons. As she was exiting a Metra
commuter train with her violin over her shoulder, the doors closed on the strap to her case, pinning her left shoulder to the train. The doors, which were controlled remotely and had no safety sensors, failed to reopen, and she was dragged 366 feet by the train before being pulled underneath and run over, severing one leg and severely mangling the other. Barton Pine was saved by the prompt application of tourniquets by several passengers who disembarked from the train after pulling its emergency brake
handles.
She sued Metra and Chicago NorthWestern Railroad and, in 1999, the case went to court. Metra argued that she made the choice not to extricate her arm from the strap of the violin case due to the value of the instrument, a 400-year-old Amati
valued at around $500,000, and thus she carried most of the blame for her injuries. The jury decided otherwise, however. Metra changed its conductor safety procedures following the accident and made other changes to the trains themselves.
, Zubin Mehta
, Neeme Järvi
, Marin Alsop
, Semyon Bychkov, Plácido Domingo
and José Serebrier
. She has also appeared with Daniel Barenboim
, Christoph Eschenbach
and William Warfield
. Her festival appearances include Marlboro
, Ravinia
, Montreal, Salzburg
, and Salzburg
’s Mozartwoche at the invitation of Franz Welser-Möst
.
Her musical interests extend well beyond classical
to baroque
, folk
, Celtic
, rock
and jazz
. She regularly instructs at Mark O'Connor
's annual summer fiddle camp, and in 2004 released a CD in collaboration with Scottish fiddler
Alasdair Fraser
. A number of living composers have written works for her, including Augusta Read Thomas
and Mohammed Fairouz
.
Pine performs chamber music as part of Trio Settecento with David Schrader and John Mark Rozendaal, and with the Jupiter Chamber Players. In September 2009, Cedille Records released Trio Settecento’s new album, A German Bouquet, a selection of German baroque era works with popular pieces by Bach and Buxtehude
as well as rarely heard repertoire by artists including Johann Schop
, Georg Muffat
and Johann Georg Pisendel
. Featuring Pine on baroque violin
, Rozendaal on viola da gamba
and ‘cello and Schrader on harpsichord and organ, A German Bouquet follows up the group’s 2007 album An Italian Sojourn. The trio will continue to explore the character and complexion of Baroque music as it developed in various regions of Europe in future albums focusing on music from France and the British Isles.
Her current principal instrument is the 1742 “ex-Soldat
” violin of Guarneri del Gesu
. For 17th and 18th century pieces she prefers to use an unaltered 1770 instrument of Nicolò Gagliano I
.
Her taste in rock runs to heavy metal
, with AC/DC
, Anthrax
, Black Sabbath
, Led Zeppelin
, Megadeth
, Metallica
, Motörhead, Pantera
, Slayer
and Van Halen
being among her favorites. She has met and jammed with a number of these, and in 1997 released a heavy-metal-inspired CD. In Feb. 2009, she joined the thrash
/doom metal
band Earthen Grave
, where she performs on a 6-string Viper
electric violin
. The band has shared the stage with such metal luminaries as Pentagram
, Black Label Society
, Mayhem
and Nachtmystium
. The group released an EP, Dismal Times. Doommantia proclaimed that Earthen Grave has "all the songwriting capabilities to make one of the best albums ever." and HellrideMusic.com said "If the doom gods are with us, this band will stay around and continue to produce the kind of unique, powerful and thoughtful music contained on Dismal Times." Pine credits her experience playing in a rock band with improving her emotional rapport with her audiences.
Pine often brings a new twist to her coaching sessions with chamber music and youth orchestras, by incorporating orchestral versions of rock pieces into her sessions. For example, Pine offered the world premiere of her own arrangement of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets
” with the McHenry County Youth Symphony (Crystal Lake, IL) in November 2009.
Bill McGlaughlin
called her a "musical Pac-Man
" for her ability to take in and perform so many different kinds of music.
She has often performed at schools and on rock music radio stations in an effort to interest younger audiences in classical music.
She is an honorary member of the Sigma Alpha Iota
international women's music fraternity, and gave a performance at the organization's summer 2009 45th national convention in Chicago.
Carl Fischer Music
recently published a sheet music
book of cadenza
s and virtuosic encore
pieces composed by Pine, as well as her arrangements of other works for violin and piano, as part of its Masters Collection. Pine became the first living composer and first woman to be so honored. Pine has also edited a 4-volume collection of compositions associated with America's pioneering female solo violinist Maud Powell
, many of which she has also recorded.
On July 11, 2010, Pine gave a three-part performance at Chicago's Millennium Park
as part of the Great Performers of Illinois celebration. After initially performing on baroque violin with Trio Settecento, she soloed in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and then switched gears again to perform in black leather on her electric violin with Earthen Grave. In conjunction with the event she received the 2010 Great Performer of Illinois award.
In 2010, Rachel participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin
prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar
, Doogie White
, Eric Martin, Troy Luccketta
, Jeff Pilson
, Randy Jackson, Rex Carroll
, Derek St. Holmes
, Kimberley Dahme
, and The 77’s
. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.
, including string music
by black composers. It prepares music curricula on black composers, loans high-quality instruments to deserving young musicians, and provides grants to cover incidental expenses (such as for supplemental lessons, accompanists, sheet music, travel, competition entrance fees, instrument repair, and audition recordings) of students and young professional musicians. Another program, Global HeartStrings, is dedicated to supporting aspiring classical musicians from developing countries
. (In this effort Barton Pine has been aided by a younger sister, Hannah Barton, also a violinist.)
In 2006, after being nominated by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
, Barton Pine received the Studs Terkel
Humanities Service Award for her work through the foundation.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Considered a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
at the violin, she started playing at the age of 3 and a half. She played at many renowned venues as a child and teenager. She currently tours worldwide as a soloist with prestigious orchestras, plays in a baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
group and a heavy metal band, and has an active recording career.
Early life
Barton Pine began playing the violin after being inspired by the example of older girls playing at her church. She debuted with the Chicago String Ensemble at age 7, and with the Chicago SymphonyChicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
at age 10. Her principal teachers were Roland and Almita Vamos
Roland and Almita Vamos
Roland and Almita Vamos are a husband and wife who are among the leading violin and viola instructors in the world. Their pupils have become prominent soloists, members of world renowned chamber groups and orchestras, and laureates of prestigious international competitions...
. Home schooling allowed her to practice 8 hours a day. At age 14 she was forced by circumstances to contribute significantly to her family's expenses by taking jobs playing at weddings and in orchestras. Explaining how she managed, she says, "I put on a lot of makeup and pretended I was older than I was."
She attained notable success in a number of violin competitions, for example in 1992 becoming the youngest (at age 17) and the first American gold medal winner at the Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany. She also earned 2nd prizes in the József Szigeti Violin Competition (1992) and the International Fritz Kreisler Competition
International Fritz Kreisler Competition
The International Fritz Kreisler Competition is a violin competition dedicated to the memory of violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler.Founded in 1979, it is carried out every four years in Vienna, Austria. It is limited to violinists of or under 30 years of age.-Preliminaries:* J.S...
(1992), as well as awards from the Montreal International Musical Competition
Montreal International Musical Competition
The Montreal International Musical Competition is a high-level musical competition for violin, piano, and voice, first established in 2002....
(1991), the Paganini Competition
Paganini Competition
The Paganini Competition is an international violin competition named after the famed virtuoso and founder of contemporary violin technique Niccolò Paganini. Created in 1954 it has been carried out ever since in the months of September and October. The "Paganini Competition" is one of the most...
(1993), and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
(1993).
Metra accident
On January 16, 1995, Barton Pine was severely injured in a train accident in the suburb of WinnetkaWinnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
, where she taught violin lessons. As she was exiting a Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
commuter train with her violin over her shoulder, the doors closed on the strap to her case, pinning her left shoulder to the train. The doors, which were controlled remotely and had no safety sensors, failed to reopen, and she was dragged 366 feet by the train before being pulled underneath and run over, severing one leg and severely mangling the other. Barton Pine was saved by the prompt application of tourniquets by several passengers who disembarked from the train after pulling its emergency brake
Emergency brake (train)
On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...
handles.
She sued Metra and Chicago NorthWestern Railroad and, in 1999, the case went to court. Metra argued that she made the choice not to extricate her arm from the strap of the violin case due to the value of the instrument, a 400-year-old Amati
Amati
Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1549 to 1740.-Andrea Amati:Andrea Amati was not the earliest maker of violins whose instruments still survive today...
valued at around $500,000, and thus she carried most of the blame for her injuries. The jury decided otherwise, however. Metra changed its conductor safety procedures following the accident and made other changes to the trains themselves.
Career
After a 2-year hiatus to allow for recovery from her injuries and therapy, Pine resumed her career. Pine has appeared as a soloist with orchestras around the world under conductors such as Charles DutoitCharles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
, Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop is an American conductor and violinist. She is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.In 2012, Alsop will replace Yan Pascal Tortelier as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra....
, Semyon Bychkov, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and José Serebrier
José Serebrier
José Serebrier is a Uruguayan conductor and composer. He married American soprano Carole Farley in 1969.- Youth :Serebrier was born in Montevideo, and first conducted an orchestra at the age of eleven, while at school. The school orchestra toured the country, which meant he was able to notch up...
. She has also appeared with Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
, Christoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach , born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.-Early...
and William Warfield
William Warfield
William Caesar Warfield , was an American concert bass-baritone singer and actor.-Early life and career:Warfield was born in West Helena, Arkansas and grew up in Rochester, New York, where his father was called to serve as pastor of Mt. Vernon Church. He gave his recital debut in New York's Town...
. Her festival appearances include Marlboro
Marlboro Music School and Festival
The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont...
, Ravinia
Ravinia Park
Ravinia Festival is the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States, with a series of outdoor concerts and performances held every summer from June to September. It has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936...
, Montreal, Salzburg
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, and Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
’s Mozartwoche at the invitation of Franz Welser-Möst
Franz Welser-Möst
Franz Welser-Möst is an Austrian conductor who is currently the music director for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera.- Biography :...
.
Her musical interests extend well beyond classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
to baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. She regularly instructs at Mark O'Connor
Mark O'Connor
Mark O'Connor is an American bluegrass, jazz, country and classical violinist fiddler, composer and music teacher. O'Connor's music is wide-ranging, critically acclaimed, and he has received numerous awards for both his playing and his composition...
's annual summer fiddle camp, and in 2004 released a CD in collaboration with Scottish fiddler
Scottish fiddling
Scottish fiddling, even to many an untrained ear, can be distinguished from other Celtic and folk fiddling styles by its particular precision of execution and energy in the delivery. The style has a very large repertoire consisting of a great variation of rhythms and key signatures, arguably more...
Alasdair Fraser
Alasdair Fraser
Alasdair Fraser is a Scottish fiddler.Fraser operates Culburnie Records, and is a leading artist on the label. He has founded three summer fiddling programs: the fiddle camp in California , a week-long course on the Isle of Skye and the more recent in California...
. A number of living composers have written works for her, including Augusta Read Thomas
Augusta Read Thomas
Augusta Read Thomas is an American composer.Augusta Read Thomas was born in Glen Cove, New York. She attended The Green Vale School and later moved on to St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and then studied composition with Jacob Druckman at Yale University and at the Royal Academy of...
and Mohammed Fairouz
Mohammed Fairouz
Mohammed Fairouz is an Arab American composer.Having fulfilling many commissions and created a substantial body of frequently performed works, he is considered one of the most sought after composers of the young generation. Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the New England...
.
Pine performs chamber music as part of Trio Settecento with David Schrader and John Mark Rozendaal, and with the Jupiter Chamber Players. In September 2009, Cedille Records released Trio Settecento’s new album, A German Bouquet, a selection of German baroque era works with popular pieces by Bach and Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
as well as rarely heard repertoire by artists including Johann Schop
Johann Schop
Johann Schop was a German violinist and composer, much admired as a musician and a technician, who was a virtuoso and whose compositions for the violin set impressive technical demands for that area at that time. In 1756 Leopold Mozart commented on the difficulty of a trill in a work by Schop,...
, Georg Muffat
Georg Muffat
-Life:He was born in Megève, Savoy, , and of Scottish descent. He studied in Paris with Jean Baptiste Lully between 1663 and 1669, then became an organist in Molsheim and Sélestat. Later, he studied law in Ingolstadt, afterwards settling in Vienna...
and Johann Georg Pisendel
Johann Georg Pisendel
Johann Georg Pisendel was a German Baroque musician, violinist and composer who, for many years, led the Court Orchestra in Dresden, then the finest instrumental ensemble in Europe.-Biography:...
. Featuring Pine on baroque violin
Baroque violin
A baroque violin is, in common usage, any violin whose neck, fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece are of the type used during the baroque period. Such an instrument may be an original built during the baroque and never changed to modern form; or a modern replica built as a baroque violin; or an...
, Rozendaal on viola da gamba
Viol
The viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
and ‘cello and Schrader on harpsichord and organ, A German Bouquet follows up the group’s 2007 album An Italian Sojourn. The trio will continue to explore the character and complexion of Baroque music as it developed in various regions of Europe in future albums focusing on music from France and the British Isles.
Her current principal instrument is the 1742 “ex-Soldat
Maria Soldat-Röger
Marie Soldat-Roeger was a virtuoso violinist active in orchestral and chamber music in the Vienna of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century...
” violin of Guarneri del Gesu
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line...
. For 17th and 18th century pieces she prefers to use an unaltered 1770 instrument of Nicolò Gagliano I
Gagliano Family of Luthiers
There are as many as eighteen violin makers named Gagliano that are known worldwide today. Below are a few of the more recognizable luthiers.-Alessandro Gagliano:...
.
Her taste in rock runs to heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, with AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Motörhead, Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
and Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
being among her favorites. She has met and jammed with a number of these, and in 1997 released a heavy-metal-inspired CD. In Feb. 2009, she joined the thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band Earthen Grave
Earthen Grave
Earthen Grave is an American thrash/doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2008, featuring violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine.- History :...
, where she performs on a 6-string Viper
Mark Wood (violinist)
Mark Winthrop Wood is an electric violinist, as well as the founder of Wood Violins, a company that makes unique electric violins. He is also an Emmy-winning composer. His music and strings education program has been featured on news programs nationwide....
electric violin
Electric violin
An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
. The band has shared the stage with such metal luminaries as Pentagram
Pentagram (band)
Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...
, Black Label Society
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
, Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
and Nachtmystium
Nachtmystium
Nachtmystium is an American psychedelic black metal band formed by Blake Judd, formerly known as Azentrius, and Pat McCormick. The band's name is derived from the German word Nacht meaning "night", and the made-up term mystium which resembles the Latin adjective mysticum...
. The group released an EP, Dismal Times. Doommantia proclaimed that Earthen Grave has "all the songwriting capabilities to make one of the best albums ever." and HellrideMusic.com said "If the doom gods are with us, this band will stay around and continue to produce the kind of unique, powerful and thoughtful music contained on Dismal Times." Pine credits her experience playing in a rock band with improving her emotional rapport with her audiences.
Pine often brings a new twist to her coaching sessions with chamber music and youth orchestras, by incorporating orchestral versions of rock pieces into her sessions. For example, Pine offered the world premiere of her own arrangement of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets (song)
"Master of Puppets" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the title track and was released as the first single from their album of the same name....
” with the McHenry County Youth Symphony (Crystal Lake, IL) in November 2009.
Bill McGlaughlin
Bill McGlaughlin
William "Bill" McGlaughlin is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host...
called her a "musical Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
" for her ability to take in and perform so many different kinds of music.
She has often performed at schools and on rock music radio stations in an effort to interest younger audiences in classical music.
She is an honorary member of the Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...
international women's music fraternity, and gave a performance at the organization's summer 2009 45th national convention in Chicago.
Carl Fischer Music
Carl Fischer Music
Carl Fischer Music is a major publisher of sheet music based in New York City that has been in business since 1872. As one of the few remaining family-owned music publishers, it supplies educational materials to professional and beginning musicians of all ages, as well as new music works.Notable...
recently published a sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
book of cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
s and virtuosic encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
pieces composed by Pine, as well as her arrangements of other works for violin and piano, as part of its Masters Collection. Pine became the first living composer and first woman to be so honored. Pine has also edited a 4-volume collection of compositions associated with America's pioneering female solo violinist Maud Powell
Maud Powell
Maud Powell was an American violinist who gained international acclaim for her skill and virtuosity. She was born in Peru, Illinois. She was the first American violinist to achieve international rank...
, many of which she has also recorded.
On July 11, 2010, Pine gave a three-part performance at Chicago's Millennium Park
Millennium Park
Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, USA and originally intended to celebrate the millennium. It is a prominent civic center near the city's Lake Michigan shoreline that covers a section of northwestern Grant Park. The area was previously...
as part of the Great Performers of Illinois celebration. After initially performing on baroque violin with Trio Settecento, she soloed in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)
The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878, is one of the best known of all violin concertos. It is also considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.-Instrumentation:...
with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and then switched gears again to perform in black leather on her electric violin with Earthen Grave. In conjunction with the event she received the 2010 Great Performer of Illinois award.
In 2010, Rachel participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin
Thomas Richard "Tommy" Bolin was an American-born guitarist who played with Zephyr , The James Gang , and Deep Purple , in addition to doing solo work...
prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar
HiFi Superstar
HiFi Superstar is a Chicago, Illinois based rock band known for their 70's look and original music.Lead singer and song writer Mike Paterson began playing with drummer Glenn Mikes in the 80's hair band Little Venus, opening for such bands as Enuff Z'Nuff and Lillian Axe, before forming the band...
, Doogie White
Doogie White
Doogie White , is a Scottish rock vocalist, who has sung for Midnight Blue, Rainbow, Cornerstone, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis and Rata Blanca...
, Eric Martin, Troy Luccketta
Troy Luccketta
Troy Luccketta , born October 5, 1959. in Lodi, California, is the drummer of hard rock/heavy metal band Tesla, who achieved popularity in the mid- to late-1980s.- Biography :...
, Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson
Jeff Pilson is an American bass guitarist, best known for his stint in the heavy metal band Dokken...
, Randy Jackson, Rex Carroll
Rex Carroll
Rex Carroll is a guitarist and known for his work in the Christian metal band Whitecross. Rex Carroll is also the leader and guitarist of other bands like Fierce Heart, King James and The Rex Carroll Band. He also filled in and did all the guitar work on Eden's 1994 album "Fan The Flame". In...
, Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes is an American musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's successful early solo career.-Early years:...
, Kimberley Dahme
Kimberley Dahme
Kimberley Dahme is a rock/country music singer, songwriter who is best known as a member of the rock band Boston.She has produced several country solo Music CDs....
, and The 77’s
The 77s
The 77s are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums.-Scratch Band:...
. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.
Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation
Barton Pine started a foundation (rebf.org) bearing her maiden name in 2001 to promote the study and appreciation of classical musicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, including string music
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
by black composers. It prepares music curricula on black composers, loans high-quality instruments to deserving young musicians, and provides grants to cover incidental expenses (such as for supplemental lessons, accompanists, sheet music, travel, competition entrance fees, instrument repair, and audition recordings) of students and young professional musicians. Another program, Global HeartStrings, is dedicated to supporting aspiring classical musicians from developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
. (In this effort Barton Pine has been aided by a younger sister, Hannah Barton, also a violinist.)
In 2006, after being nominated by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
, Barton Pine received the Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel
Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.-Early...
Humanities Service Award for her work through the foundation.
Discography
- Homage to Pablo de SarasatePablo de SarasatePablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
with Samuel Sanders (piano) - Dorian Recordings, 1994: DOR-90183 - George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
: The Sonatas for Violin & ContinuoFigured bassFigured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
with David Schrader (harpsichord) and John Mark Rozendaal (cello) - Cedille RecordsCedille Records#REDIRECTCedille Records is the independent record label of TheChicago Classical Recording Foundation.-Company History:In 1989, James Ginsburg founded Cedille Records, as a...
, 1996: CDR 90000 032 - LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
: Works for Violin and Piano with Thomas Labé (Piano) - Dorian Recordings, 1997: DOR-90251 - Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries with the Encore Chamber OrchestraChicago Youth Symphony OrchestrasChicago Youth Symphony Orchestras is an orchestral organization in Chicago, Illinois that was founded in 1946 to provide music education and instrumental training of the highest quality to Chicago area youth.-Structure:...
; Daniel HegeDaniel HegeDaniel Hege is an American orchestral conductor. He is the former music director of the former Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and currently the music director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. He also makes numerous guest appearances with orchestras across the country.- Biography :Hege was born in...
, conductor - Cedille Records, 1997: CDR 90000 035 - Stringendo: Storming the Citadel with Edgar Gabriel (violin) and Brandon VamosPacifica QuartetThe Pacifica Quartet is an internationally recognized string quartet based in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, where they are faculty members at the University of Illinois. Its members are: Simin Ganatra, first violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson, second violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos,...
(cello) - Cacophony Records, 1997 - Instrument of the DevilDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
with Patrick Sinozich (piano), David Schrader (harpsichord), John Mark Rozendaal (cello) and John Bruce YehJohn Bruce YehJohn Bruce Yeh is the acting principal clarinetist and Eb clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Yeh joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1977. He started as solo bass clarinetist and two years later was appointed assistant principal and Eb clarinetist.-External links:*...
(clarinet) - Cedille Records, 1998: CDR 90000 041 - Double Play: Twentieth Century DuosDuet (music)A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
for Violin and CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
with Wendy WarnerWendy WarnerWendy Warner is a cellist from Chicago, Illinois. She performs both as a soloist with major orchestras and as a chamber musician around the world.-Career:...
(cello) - Cedille Records, 1998: CDR 90000 047 - BrahmsViolin Concerto (Brahms)Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 is a violin concerto in three movements composed by Johannes Brahms in 1878 and dedicated to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim...
and JoachimViolin Concerto No. 2 (Joachim)Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor "in the Hungarian Manner", Op.11 is a Romantic violin concerto written by violinist Joseph Joachim . The critic has called it "the Holy Grail of Romantic violin concertos."...
Violin Concertos with the Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago Symphony OrchestraThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
; Carlos KalmarCarlos KalmarCarlos Kalmar is a Uruguayan conductor. He began violin studies at age six. At age fifteen, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music where his conducting teacher was Karl Österreicher...
, conductor - Cedille Records, 2002: CDR 90000 068 - Introduction, Theme, and Variations on “God Defend New ZealandGod Defend New Zealand"God Defend New Zealand" is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the Queen". Legally they have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used, and is popularly referred to as "the national anthem"...
” - Cacophony Records, 2002 - Solo Baroque - Cedille Records, 2004: CDR 90000 078
- Scottish FantasiesScottish FantasyThe Scottish Fantasy in E-flat major, Op. 46, is a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was dedicated to the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate.It is a four movement fantasy on Scottish folk melodies...
for Violin and Orchestra with Alasdair Fraser (fiddle) and the Scottish Chamber OrchestraScottish Chamber OrchestraThe Scottish Chamber Orchestra is Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh. One of Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. The SCO appears...
; Alexander PlattAlexander PlattAlexander Platt is an American symphony orchestra conductor. He is the Resident Conductor and Music Advisor for Chicago Opera Theater and is presently the Music Director for Maverick Concerts, the Wisconsin Philharmonic, the Marion Indiana Philharmonic, The La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the...
, conductor - Cedille Records, 2004: CDR 90000 083 - American VirtuosaVirtuosoA virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
: Tribute to Maud Powell with Matthew Hagle (piano) - Cedille Records, 2006: CDR 90000 097 - Trio Settecento: An Italian Sojourn with David Schrader (harpsichord) and John Mark Rozendaal (baroque cello) - Cedille Records, 2007: CDR 90000 099
- BeethovenViolin Concerto (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, was written in 1806.The work was premiered on 23 December 1806 in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Beethoven wrote the concerto for his colleague Franz Clement, a leading violinist of the day, who had earlier given him helpful advice on...
& ClementFranz ClementFranz Joseph Clement , was an Austrian violinist, pianist, composer, conductor of Vienna's Theater an der Wien and friend of Ludwig van Beethoven....
Violin Concertos with the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
; José Serebrier, conductor - Cedille Records, 2008: CDR 90000 106 - Earthen Grave: Dismal Times with Mark Weiner (vocals), Tony Spillman (guitar), Jason Muxlow (guitar), Ron Holzner (bass, vocals) and Scott Davidson (drums) - 2009
- Trio Settecento: A German Bouquet with David Schrader (harpsichord and organ) and John Mark Rozendaal (viola da gamba and baroque cello) - Cedille Records, 2009: CDR 90000 114
- GlazunovAlexander GlazunovAlexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
: Complete ConcertosViolin Concerto (Glazunov)The Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82, by Alexander Glazunov is one of his most popular compositions. Written in 1904, the concerto was dedicated to violinist Leopold Auer, who gave the first performance at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 15, 1905...
with the Russian National OrchestraRussian National OrchestraThe Russian National Orchestra premiered in Moscow in 1990.It was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Apostolic Palace, Vatican and in Israel....
; José Serebrier, conductor - Warner ClassicsWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, 2011: 2564 67946-5 - Capricho Latino with Héctor ElizondoHector ElizondoHéctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
, narrator - Cedille Records, 2011: CDR 90000 124
External links
- Rachel Barton Pine's tour dates
- Rachel Barton Pine's classical music podcast site
- Rachel Barton Pine's heavy metal podcast site
- Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation
- Rachel Barton Pine's Flickr photo page
- Trio Settecento's web site
- Earthen Grave's MySpace page
- Rachel Barton Pine's blog at Violinist.Com
- Violinist.Com interviews: 2008-07-29, 2009-09-08, 2010-11-30
- Interview on the Beethoven/Clement CD 2008-09-09