Rachel Barton Pine coming to Wayne

The Wayne Concert Series in May will welcome its most famous performer yet: violinist Rachel Barton Pine.

“We’re just thrilled,” organizer Carol Berger said. “It will be very difficult to find a venue where you can be this close in a small, intimate setting for Rachel Barton. She never does this. She plays in concert halls. It’s very, very unusual.”

The 36-year-old violinst will perform beginning at 4 p.m. May 22 at the Little Home Church by the Wayside, 32W128 Army Trail Road.

Pine, who was has performed with the finest conductors and appeared five times on NBC’s “Today Show,” has made 16 recordings in her career, including several with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Pine also holds titles from several of the world’s leading competitions, and at 17 was the first American and youngest to win a gold medal at the 1992 Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, Germany.

In 2007, she received the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her work in music education. She writes her own cadenzas to many of the works she performs including concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Paganini.

Organizers asked Pine to perform and she agreed last year. “We want to have the best we can get.” Berger said. “We were shocked and thrilled (when she agreed).”

Proceeds from the one-hour and 45-minute show will be split between the Wayne Historical Preservation Society, which is restoring the village’s historic train depot, and the church’s music program, which hopes to start a bell choir.

Tickets are limited to 140 and are $40 for adults and $15 for students. Organizers also are hosting a dinner at the Dunham Woods Riding Club, 33W333 Army Trail Road, for $30 a person. Pine will be in attendance at the dinner as well.

For more information or tickets, call Berger at (630) 363-8982, Karen Armbrust at (630) 377-1876 or the church at (630) 584-4013.