Internationally acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine will bring centuries of musical history to life Saturday, October 17, at Aalfs Auditorium in Vermillion, performing on two of the National Music Museum’s most celebrated historic violins.
The 7 p.m. concert will feature the NMM’s 1668 Jacob Stainer violin, which has not been heard publicly since it arrived at the museum in 1989, and the 1693 "Harrison" Stradivari violin, which has not been played publicly in more than two decades. The evening will also mark the public debut of the 2025 ‘Harrison’ Strad 2.0, a meticulous modern re-creation of the historic Stradivari.
Together, the instruments will offer audiences a rare opportunity to hear centuries of violin making in a single concert—including a direct comparison between an original Stradivari and its modern counterpart.
Tickets for An Evening with Rachel Barton Pine, Antonio Stradivari, and Jacob Stainer are available at NMMusd.org/events.
Historic Instruments Return to the Stage
During a recent visit to the National Music Museum, Pine was captivated by the museum’s 1668 Jacob Stainer violin, a masterwork preserved in near-original condition. Considered the greatest violin maker of the 17th century outside Italy, Stainer created instruments prized for their sweet, silvery tone. Johann Sebastian Bach himself owned a Stainer violin, adding historical resonance to Pine’s performance of Bach on the NMM instrument.
The Stainer has not been heard publicly since it arrived at the NMM in 1989.
The evening will also offer audiences a rare opportunity to hear the NMM’s celebrated 1693 ‘Harrison’ Stradivari violin alongside its modern re-creation. One of only a handful of Stradivari violins to retain its original neck, the ‘Harrison’ represents Antonio Stradivari’s pioneering “long pattern” design and has been described as “the greatest concert violin built before 1700.” The instrument has not been played publicly in more than two decades and will return to permanent exhibition following the October 17 recital.
Pine will play the historic ‘Harrison’ alongside the 2025 ‘Harrison’ Strad 2.0, giving audiences the chance to hear the two instruments in direct comparison. Created through a collaboration involving the Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop in Ohio and the Chicago School of Violin Making in Illinois, the Strad 2.0 was crafted over two years to reproduce details of the original—including its dimensions, varnish, and wear patterns. The October 17 event will mark the first public presentation of the new instrument and offer a fascinating opportunity to hear a 1693 Stradivari side by side with its 21st-century re-creation.
Funding for the 1668 Jacob Stainer violin (NMM 04548) was provided by the NMM Board of Trustees, 1989, in memory of Arne B. and Jeanne F. Larson. The 1693 ‘Harrison’ Stradivari violin (NMM 03598) was acquired through the Rawlins Fund, 1985. Purchase funds for the ‘Harrison’ Strad 2.0 violin (NMM 15929) were a gift of 1st Financial Bank USA and Ken Cancelosi, in memory of Robert Cancelosi, 2025.
About Rachel Barton Pine
Praised by The New York Times as “striking and charismatic” and by The Washington Post for her “power and confidence,” Rachel Barton Pine has performed with leading orchestras around the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Vienna Symphony, under conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Marin Alsop, and Zubin Mehta.
Known for her wide-ranging repertoire and interest in connecting music with its history, Pine performs on the 1742 “ex-Bazzini, ex-Soldat” Guarnerius “del Gesù,” on lifetime loan from an anonymous patron.
Pine’s October 17 concert is part of a three-day residency with the University of South Dakota Department of Music. She will also perform with the USD Symphony Orchestra on Friday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Aalfs Auditorium. With the USD Symphony, Pine will perform José White Lafitte’s Concerto for Violin in F-sharp Minor. The USD Symphony performance is free and open to the public.
Rachel Barton Pine’s concert and residency are generously supported by the Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation, Margaret Ann Martin Everist Foundation, South Dakota Department of Tourism, University of South Dakota, South Dakota Arts Council, and the City of Vermillion.
About the National Music Museum
The National Music Museum (NMM), located on the campus of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, is one of the world’s finest collections of musical instruments, with some 14,000 instruments in its holdings. The NMM owns some of the most historically significant musical instruments in existence. Founded in 1973, the National Music Museum Inc. is a non-profit entity in partnership with USD.
