Perlman Music Program
Mission
Young musicians of talent need support. Left alone with their gift, without the instruction and mentoring that allows them to thrive, even the most exceptional young artists will struggle, and many may fail to achieve their full musical potential. Without this next generation of world-class musicians, the musical world and its audiences will be the poorer.
The Perlman Music Program welcomes young musicians of rare and special talent into a richly supportive musical community. Through intensive summer programs, year-round mentoring, and on occasion, an international study or performance tour, the program offers unparalleled musical training for students, ages 12 to 30, who play the violin, viola, cello, bass and piano. With a faculty led by Itzhak Perlman and comprising some of the most gifted musical talents of our time, the Program offers an artistic and personal experience that changes students’ lives forever.
The Perlman Music Program seeks to ensure that the very best musicians can take advantage of this opportunity, regardless of their economic background or financial means.
History and Background
As a nineteen year-old violin student at Juilliard, Toby Perlman began to dream of a musical institution dedicated to training the next generation of classical music leaders. She dreamed of a program devoted to a supportive and nurturing learning environment, one capable of adapting to the needs of each individual student, and one that counteracts the immense pressures often placed on students of extraordinary talent.
Toby’s dream became a reality in 1993 when what was to become The Perlman Music Program held its first two-week summer session at a rented camp site at Boys’ Harbor in East Hampton, New York. This ramshackle campus lacked many of the qualities needed to run a first class summer music school, including adequate practice and performance space. It quickly became clear that a more conducive campus was needed to fulfill the Program’s ambitious goals.
Thanks to a few very generous benefactors, The Perlman Music Program took this major step forward in 2000 when they purchased an idyllic 28-acre campus on the shore of Shelter Island, New York. This former resort provided large buildings for dorms and a dining hall, bungalows for faculty housing, tiny cabins perfect for practice rooms, and space to erect a large performance stage and tent.
Since its first two-week session in 1993, the Program has grown into a sophisticated series of programs that include the now six-week Summer Music School @ PMP, the two and a half-week Chamber Music Workshop @ PMP, the two and a half-week Sarasota Winter Residency @ PMP, and the NYC Yearlong Mentorship Program @ PMP. Over the years, these programs have been enhanced by the occasional international tour to places such as Israel and China.
Today, The Perlman Music Program has established itself as a leader in its field. At the heart of the Program’s guiding philosophy is a belief in personalized and intimate learning experiences for students.
Boasting a remarkable student to faculty ratio of better than 2:1, the faculty, led by Itzhak Perlman, includes some of the most highly respected and sought-after pedagogues in the world. This helps create an environment that provides the valuable resources necessary to nurture remarkable talent, while at the same time promoting both leadership and real life social skills.
Throughout its existence, The Perlman Music Program has found that these attributes achieve tangible results for its students. PMP takes great pride in noting that virtually all of its young graduates continue their studies at leading conservatories and distinguished colleges – and most of them cite PMP as one of the most formative elements in their musical and personal development.
The Perlman Music Program was founded by Itzhak Perlman and his wife, Toby, in 1995. The program is headquartered in Shelter Island, New York. It offers exceptionally talented young string players, aged 12 to 18, a six-week summer residential courses in solo performance, chamber music, string orchestra and chorus singing, with a faculty led by Itzhak Perlman. In addition to the summer program, students receive year-round mentoring and participate in international studies and performance tours.
Programs
Summer Music School
the Summer Music School @ PMP is the organization’s oldest and largest program. This year’s program will serve 37 string players ages 11-18 for six and a half weeks of focused study and inspiring music-making.
Led by Toby and Itzhak Perlman, the SMS faculty and staff work to create an environment where young musicians feel welcome and supported, where musical talent is nurtured in a rigorous yet noncompetitive fashion, and where concern for the development of the whole person is always foremost at hand.
This is accomplished, in part, by maintaining a student to faculty ratio of better than 2 to 1. Each faculty member, including Mr. Perlman, is on campus full time during the summer session; giving weekly private lessons to each student, leading regular group classes, attending every concert, eating meals with students, and participating both musical and non-musical group activities.
While on Shelter Island, students are kept very busy. In addition to their rigorous daily schedule, faculty members and guests frequently lead group discussions on topics such as performance practice, artistic expression, and performance anxiety.
The Program not only provides musical instruction at the highest level, but also works to help the participants mature and develop personally. For example, students take turns sharing the responsibilities of the dreaded “Kitchen Patrol”, and time is set aside each morning for dorm room chores. Finally, students are also allowed adequate time to just be kids as fun events are planned such as weekend dance parties, off-island field trips, and more.
Admission to the Summer Music School is based solely on musical talent, and the selection process is notably rigorous. Admission is based on video taped auditions which are reviewed by Program faculty. The Summer Music School has a need blind admissions process. Students who require a scholarship in order to attend receive financial assistance, and no student is ever turned away based on their inability to pay.
Chamber Music Workshop
Led by Merry Peckham, the Chamber Music Workshop @ PMP continues to grow and develop into one the of the leading summer chamber music programs of its kind. The program, devoted entirely to the study of great chamber works, is two and a half weeks of intense rehearsals, masterclasses, late-night sight reading sessions, and concerts.
The program features an all-star list of chamber music masters. Each faculty member provides daily coachings and present public masterclasses in the evenings.
The program accepts applicants from students age 18 and older, either as individuals or as part of pre-formed groups. In 2008, the Workshop will see a record 45 violin, viola, cello, and piano students come to Shelter Island.
Sarasota Winter Residency
During our two-week Sarasota Winter Residency, a selection of Summer Music School and Chamber Music Workshop students enjoy a busy schedule that includes daily practice, private lessons, chamber music coachings, orchestra and chorus rehearsals, multiple performance opportunities, beach outings, and festive holiday celebrations hosted by generous Sarasota donors.
NYC Yearlong Mentorship Program
The Yearlong Mentorship Program @ PMP provides current and former students with numerous performance opportunities. It was developed out of Toby Perlman’s desire to offer students concert experiences in between the summer programs on Shelter Island and the Sarasota Winter Residency.
Because of the Program’s strong belief in encouraging academics, the Yearlong Mentorship Program is also structured so that performances cause little to no interruption in students’ academic schooling.
The 2008 Yearlong Mentorship Program concerts included series at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Neue Galerie New York, a series for alumni at the Van Wezel Performing Arts center in Sarasota, Florida, as well as concerts in West Palm Beach, FL, Virginia Beach, VA, Princeton, NJ, at private homes and clubs throughout New York City.