Pictured: Itzhak Perlman conducts the Celebration Concert at the end of the 2016/17 PMP Sarasota Winter Residency. Photo courtesy of PMP Suncoast.

The 14th annual Perlman Music Program (PMP) Sarasota Winter Residency has arrived, kicking off this past Wednesday with its Bach to Jazz event, featuring PMP alumni Sean Lee (violin) and Peter Dugan (piano) entertaining guests in the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) courtyard with performances ranging from Bach and Puccini to their own original compositions. For the students of the 17-day residency, who come from around the world, it’s an opportunity for intensive and personal instruction from a celebrated faculty led by the famed Itzhak Perlman. For everyone else not wielding a bow, it’s a chance to indulge the auditory with any number of the 20 free musical events or handful of ticketed concerts.

With nearly all free events being held on the USFSM campus in the comfortable confines of a heated performance tent seating roughly 1,000, attendees have near-daily opportunities to not only hear performances from esteemed faculty and talented up-and-comers, but also a window into the process that makes it all possible. Part performance and part education, “It’s perfect for those who are both new to classical music and those who already love it,” says PMP Suncoast Executive Director Elizabeth Power. At any of the five orchestra rehearsals, see Perlman himself wielding the baton and leading his charges; in chorus rehearsals (there are seven) experience the PMP chorus of students, faculty and local talent come together under Chorus Master Patrick Romano. The seven Works-in-Progress Student Recitals feature individual and small group performance with wide-ranging selections and the three Master Classes bring the focus to one-on-one instruction.

And thanks to the microphones, audiences will be able to hear how rehearsal and instruction function, as well as enjoy the results. “It’s all about the excitement of the moment,” says Power. “How a developing young artist responds and interacts with the audience during their performance, and the reflection of that in the audience’s response. It’s truly magical. There’s nothing like it.” With Q&A sessions following most events, the audience will get a chance to lend their voice and actively participate in the moment as well.

At least one such event is scheduled for each day, excepting the Mondays of Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, and Thursday, Jan. 4, the day of the annual Celebration Concert.

But not everything can be free, and the Winter Residency does include a handful of ticketed events, including a Dec. 30 rehearsal performance from the PMP Super Strings. Featuring young violinists, violists, cellists and bassists, they will perform alongside the PMP String Orchestra and under the guidance of Perlman. On Jan. 4 in the Sarasota Opera House, the Celebration Concert celebrates the culmination of the Winter Residency, bringing both the PMP Chorus and the PMP String Orchestra to the stage to show what all the rehearsal has led to.

For a full schedule, visit the link below. The PMP Sarasota Winter Residency runs through Jan. 6.

Pictured: Itzhak Perlman conducts the Celebration Concert at the end of the 2016/17 PMP Sarasota Winter Residency. Photo courtesy of PMP Suncoast.

PMP Sarasota Winter Residency