World-famous violinist from Chicago puts on a show for middle schoolers
GLEN ELLYN, Ill. (CBS) – She's a world-famous violinist, but her most recent performance was for a private audience at a junior high school in Glen Ellyn.
CBS 2's Noel Brennan was there as Rachel Barton Pine, a familiar name in Chicago, blew away a young audience.
The venue may not be the most renowned, but Barton Pine was at Hadley Junior High School for the audience.
"Probably my favorite kind of audience of all is playing for children," she said. "They're just so open to hearing new things and so excited to experience things sometimes for the first time."
Barton Pine has played on some of the world's biggest stages, but a middle school auditorium is no less thrilling.
The career of the violin virtuoso and Chicago native continues to flourish nearly 30 years since a terrible train accident in north suburban Winnetka. Police said she was dragged down the tracks and one of her legs was severed while the other was severely injured.
Barton Pine will be back on tour soon, but she stopped at Hadley for an old friend, Georgia Alemis, the school's orchestra director.
"She was so kind enough to offer to come this year, and I'm so thankful for that," Alemis said.
Barton Pine said, "I just wanted to celebrate her work and come and visit her and see what her kids were up to and was so delighted to be invited."
Barton Pine shared the stage at the school with her daughter Sylvia, who was the same age as most of the audience.
"I just feel like, special," said eighth grader Cathlea Bea. "It's just like, to get this opportunity to have someone as amazing as her to just come to our school, like our school, and it's just crazy."
The whole venue was wowed and inspired.
"If you commit to what you dream of, you can accomplish anything such as Rachel Barton Pine," said sixth grader Emilie Scarleski.
