Each December, students from the Perlman Music Program (PMP) Summer Music School, Israel Residency and Chamber Music Workshop reunite on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus for lessons, studio classes, works-in-progressrecitals, chorus and orchestra rehearsals and other activities. This year, 35 musically gifted students and Fellows (student mentors) from seven countries will participate in the program. Starting on December 29, the public is invited to watch free rehearsals and works-in-progress recitals under the baton of world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and other esteemed faculty members. Audiences will also be able to watch Patrick Romano, choirmaster, rehearse with the PMP choir. Lisa Berger, executive director of The Perlman Music Program Suncoast (Perlman Suncoast), the locally based nonprofit that supports PMP and its alumni with programs throughout the year, explains that “The PMP Winter Residency provides valuable mentoring and performance opportunities for young, gifted musicians, ages 12 and up, who have a rare and special talent for classical string music”. “They’re back after a two-year hiatus and we can’t wait to welcome them.” Berger adds, “It’s also a treat for local audiences who can observe the mentoring process of musicians who will someday appear on stages around the world.” This year, audiences can attend 18 events held in a heated performance tent on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. On January 5, PMP Winter Residency students and faculty present a“Celebration Concert,” featuring the PMP String Orchestra under the baton of Itzhak mPerlman, and the PMP Chorus, led by Patrick Romano, at the Sarasota Opera House. The “Celebration Dinner” follows the concert in the tent on the USF-Sarasota Manatee campus. “This is a lovely way to celebrate all of the faculty and students who worked hard during the preceding weeks,” says Berger. The event is attended by Toby and Itzhak Perlman, PMP students, faculty and staff, with fine food and beverages and entertainment by the students and faculty. For more information about The Perlman Music Program Suncoast, visit www.PerlmanSuncoast.org.