History
Acclaimed Guest Artists
The Ahn Trio
Lamar Alsop, violinist
Luis Biava, conductor
Chris Brubeck, jazz musician
Calder Quartet
Canadian Brass, brass quintet
Norman Carol, violinist
Sarah Chang, violinist
Che-Hung Chen, violist
Claremont Trio
The Corigliano Quartet, string quartet
Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
Arturo Delmoni, violinist
Gloria DePasquale, cellist
Igudesman and Joo, duo
Imani Winds
Benny Kim, violinist
The Lionsgate Trio, piano trio
Robert Lipsett, violinist
The Low Brass Project
Michelle Kim, violinist
Midori, violinist
The Miró Quartet, string quartet
Ricardo Morales, clarinetist
Riccardo Muti, conductor
New Orford Quartet
Oenso String Quartet
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Time for Three, string trio
Triple Play
The Ying Quartet, string quartet
Frederick Zlotkin, cellist
Distinguished Guest Composers
Tommie Haglund, 2014
David Ludwig, 2016
Founded in 1980 by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Bert Phillips and Steinway pianist Toby Blumenthal, Luzerne Music Center has always had a mission to provide world-class musical instruction for gifted young musicians in a summer camp environment regardless of their financial circumstance.
The idea of starting LMC began when founders Bert and Toby toured many of the lakes in the area looking for a summer home while Bert was in residency in Saratoga Springs with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Eventually, they settled in Lake Luzerne because Bert believed it had the charm of Wisconsin where he grew up. While he was taking a year off from the orchestra, they heard that the site of former Camp Tekakwitha was for sale. Bert was already thinking about how to do more for the community and give back, so they purchased the 20 wooded acres where LMC now sits, on the shore of Lake Luzerne. They worked tirelessly to get camp off the ground, buying chairs and tables at church garage sales, anything that they could find and bringing it all up to camp in their family station wagon.
LMC was a labor of love for Bert and Toby, and they quickly got their friends and colleagues on board. Faculty members were originally comprised of members of the Albany Symphony and they would ask colleagues in the Philadelphia Orchestra to come over and give masterclasses. World-renowned guest artists, composers and conductors came to meet and work with students at camp, including George Crumb, Norman Carol, LaMar Alsop and Ricardo Muti. Ties with the Philadelphia Orchestra were strong for LMC, a relationship that continues today with our students hearing the orchestra perform live at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and our week-long Philadelphia Orchestra Masterclass Residency.
In the early years, Elizabeth Pitcairn, our now CEO and Artistic Director, attended camp as a student from the Philadelphia area. She formed lifelong friendships, performed in the community and showed much promise that Bert and Toby saw early on. In 2008, Bert asked Elizabeth to consider becoming his successor, just before his passing from a long illness. Elizabeth began by joining the board in 2009, in 2010 she was appointed Artistic Director and in 2012 Toby passed on the torch and she was appointed as LMC's President and CEO. Through her travels as a violin soloist, Elizabeth continues to connect students and patrons around the world with LMC’s mission and maintain relations with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Throughout the years, LMC has grown a global presence and welcomed thousands of students to our home at the foothills of the Adirondacks. With a newly transformed campus in 2021, it is exciting to see the growth and momentum of LMC. We continue to work to provide an enriching experience for every student each summer, all while staying true to Bert and Toby’s vision from the very start of LMC’s history.