POINT PLEASANT — In the world of music, the legendary 1720 “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius stands out as one of the most recognizable musical instruments.

And the famous violin, which is said to have inspired the 1999 Academy Award winning film, The Red Violin, will be coming to Point Pleasant this weekend. Violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn, who has owned the red violin since she was 16 years old, will be joining the Ohio Valley Symphony to play the violin in concert this Saturday at the Point Pleasant Junior Senior High School Lillian and Paul Wedge Auditorium.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. and will be under the direction of Maestro Ray Fowler. Pitcairn, who arrived Wednesday in Point Pleasant, said that she is very excited to be in the area. This is Pitcairn’s first time visiting West Virginia.

“I am really excited to be in Point Pleasant. I have a fabulous new dress that I got at Neiman Marcus with this concert in mind,” Pitcairn said, adding that she has already enjoyed her stay at the Historic Lowe Hotel.

In addition, Pitcairn said that she was happy to experience Point Pleasant, W.Va., since she is originally from Point Pleasant, Pa. She also is connected to the area with several paintings of her family on display at the Gallery at 409 on Main St. According to Pitcairn, one of the paintings belongs to her family and the others belong to her family’s church in Pennsylvania.

Although Pitcairn now lives in Los Angeles, Calif., she still holds her Pennsylvania roots close. According to Pitcairn, she comes from a musical family. Her mother was a professional cellist.

Pitcairn began playing the violin when she was 3 1/2-years old and attended her first music camp at the age of 10. She then was given the red violin as a gift from her grandfather when she was 16-years old. According to Pitcairn, she typically practices the violin five to six hours a day. In addition, she performs at various venues from large auditoriums to small, intimate events across the country.

“I do get nervous, so I do a lot of practice performances. It is really important to try pieces out first,” she said.

Although the red violin is in Pitcairn’s possession, she does not consider herself to be the instrument’s owner.

“I feel very lucky to (have the red violin). It’s an instrument that’s been put in my care and the instrument needs me to play it to speak. I feel fortunate that we’ve grown together — I consider myself the violin’s caretaker,” she said, adding that she has had the red violin for almost 20 years.

According to Pitcairn, the violin is almost 300 years old and for 200 years no one knew who played it. Pitcairn described the violin being in her possession as a great responsibility.

“It is my responsibility to take care of (the violin), preserve it and play it as well as I can,” she said.

With her performance on Saturday, Pitcairn said that she would like for the audience to be captivated by the music.

“I hope to bring myself and the audience into an altered state of a range of emotions that takes you out of yourself and completely removes you from the world,” she said. “Being an artist allows you to do this. When you get into a certain zone you are doing everything from some other consciousness. There’s a real healing power that music can bring to people.”

Paul Simone, president of the board of trustees of the Ohio Valley Symphony and Gallery at 409, said that he was very pleased to get someone of Pitcairn’s musical ability to come to Point Pleasant.

“A performance of this caliber was previously only available in larger cities, such as Columbus or Charleston,” he added.

In addition, Simone said that hosting Pitcairn was a tribute to the area’s cultural diversity and sophistication.

Following Saturday’s concert, Pitcairn will be able to meet with the audience. Copies of The Red Violin DVD, which includes a special feature with Pitcairn, will also be for sale.

For more information on the concert, call Paul Simone at 304-674-5803. For more information on Pitcairn, visit www.redviolin.net.

The Red Violin

• The historic violin was crafted in 1720 by Antonio Stradivari of Italy, the most famous violin maker of all time.

• Much of the violin’s originial burnished red varnish remains, and it is thought to be one of the best sounding and most beautiful of the Stadivarius violins.

• The violin came into the possession of Elizabeth Pitcairn, who after nearly three decades of rigorous training, has become one of America’s most renowned solo violinists.

• The violin is said to have inspired the 1999 Academy Award winning film, The Red Violin.