Students and faculty of the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast take the stage under the baton of famed violinist Itzhak Perlman at the Sarasota Opera House on Jan. 3 for the 11th annual Celebration Concert. The concert marks the culmination of the 11th season of the PMP/Suncoast Winter Residency, bringing talented students from around the world together under the tutelage of professional musicians for two weeks of intense training, and the second performance in PMP’s Hear and Now Concert Series.

Highlights of this year’s selections include a choral presentation of the overture from The Barber of Seville, bringing the students, faculty and the Perlmans on stage singing together, Giuseppe Verdi’s String Quartet in E Minor arranged for the orchestra and a special rendition of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 featuring a violin solo broken apart and rearranged by Perlman to run seamlessly through the entire violin section.

“The PMP is all about equality and giving opportunities to students,” said Elizabeth Power, executive director for PMP/Suncoast. “They’re all exceptionally gifted, and this highlights all of them equally.”

In addition to Perlman, the young performers from PMP/Suncoast will be performing with the likes of Paul Katz, internationally renowned cellist formerly of the Cleveland Quartet, and Mary Peckham, a founding cellist of the Cavani Quartet.

For most students, the Winter Residency is a return to PMP, having attended programs elsewhere in their journey to becoming working professionals. “This is a lifelong friendship that they are all entering,” said Elizabeth Power, executive director for PMP/Suncoast. “We have no idea where they’re going from here, but it’s amazing to see them in a snapshot of where they are in their training and development.”

Said Toby Perlman, violinist, founder of PMP and Itzhak’s wife, “Sarasota has become a second home for us over the years. We love coming here and look forward to next year.”

The PMP/Suncoast Celebration Concert is this Saturday, Jan. 3, at 5pm in the Sarasota Opera House.