The Perlman Music Program (PMP) Suncoast’s Winter Residency will kick off its 22nd year of operation on December 30. PMP itself began in 1994, the brainchild of violinist Toby Perlman, designed to serve as a holistic learning environment for some of the world’s top young string instruments. Led by Toby and her husband Itzhak Perlman, the program hosts a highly competitive seven-week long music summer camp on New York’s Shelter Island for students aged 12-18—after participating in the summer program, students will migrate to Sarasota to take part in the Winter Residency from December 30 to January 10.

This year, the Winter Residency has moved from the USF-Manatee Sarasota Campus to various locations in downtown Sarasota. During the residency, students will engage in individual and group lessons, orchestra rehearsals, chorus rehearsals and debut works in progress, all in preparation for the PMP Celebration Concert, held at the Sarasota Opera on January 9. The Winter Residency’s community programs are free and open to the public to enjoy, gaining an inside eye into the artistic process of these young musicians.

“The orchestra rehearsals are conducted by Mr. Perlman, who wears a microphone, so you get to hear what he’s saying to the kids and he addresses the audience as well. The WIPS or works in progress are solo recitals—a student string instrumentalist is accompanied by a pianist and they get to try out whatever it is they are working on, be it an audition for a college or a competition, in front of a live audience,” says Lisa Berger, executive director of PMP Suncoast. “Audiences get to know a lot of the students because they come back year after year, which is even more exciting because then they see them grow up and become professional musicians.”

The environment at PMP is a holistic one, meant to nurture and develop the students not just as musicians, but also as people. Although acceptance into the program is extremely competitive, the actual environment is not. There is no jostling for a better seat in the orchestra, no predetermined hierarchy based on experience. “What's important in any musical education environment is to build a support system where you prop up the talent and then you build the skills. Prop up the talent and build the skills that support the talent, because talent isn’t what’s going to develop the voice, but it is connected to what they have to say in the music,” says instructor Catherine Cho, an acclaimed violinist in her own right and a faculty member at Juilliard. “That’s innate, that comes from the heart, from the soul, but then we need the language to be able to advocate for your voice and that’s where the skill building comes in.”

PMP Winter Residency, Downtown Sarasota, December 30, 2025-January 10, 2026 

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The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced new programs to kick off the beginning of 2026. Newly announced events include Hermitage Fellow Roger Q. Mason’s exploration of what it means to live in a democracy today at Venice Theatre on Monday, January 12; a playwright’s look into the modern healthcare system in a panel discussion with 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Deepa Purohit as she investigates supporting material for her Hermitage-commissioned play at the Asolo Rep’s Koski Center on Wednesday, January 14, featuring guest panelists from the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System; and returning Hermitage Fellow and Tony Award-winning performer Britton Smith splitting the bill with celebrated jazz musician and composer Adam O’Farrill at Selby Gardens on January 29.  

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is thrilled to welcome Revisiting Creedence to Sarasota on Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale. Tickets start at $46 and can be purchased at VanWezel.org, by calling 941-263-6799 or by visiting the Veteran Air Box Office at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should contact 941-263-6726. Grab and go dining options are available through Mattison’s at the Van Wezel which is located inside the theatre. Select shows may have dinner service available. Reservations can be made on VanWezel.org or through the Veteran Air Box Office. Future updates on shows and productions can be found on the Van Wezel’s website and through social media on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. 

Creative Liberties presents "Reflected Currents," a two-month collaborative residency and exhibition by artists Sandra Wix and Gary LaParl, on view January through February 2026 at Creative Liberties at ARCOS, 340 Central Ave., Sarasota. Blending Wix’s luminous undersea abstraction with LaParl’s emotive figurative narratives, the exhibition explores the shared rhythms of water and human emotion. An opening reception is Wednesday, January 21, 5-7 p.m., and an Open House & New Work Review is Saturday, February 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is pleased to – once again – invite the community to celebrate the rich legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during an inspirational performance. The “Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” a soul-stirring annual tradition, features gospel and soul music, dance, and dramatic reenactments of Dr. King’s most powerful speeches. The show, which was created by WBTT Founder/Artistic Director Nate Jacobs and Reverend Charles McKenzie, takes place Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House (61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota). Tickets are $25.75-$36.05 (including fees). For information and tickets, visit the Sarasota Opera website (sarasotaopera.org). 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the lineup for the 2025-2026 Forums Series, featuring five panel discussions inspired by the themes explored in the theatre’s productions of A Tailor Near Me, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, One Hit Wonders, A Night with Janis Joplin, and Birthday Candles. Forums events are free for FST patrons to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org or call FST’s Box Office at (941) 366-9000. 

A Bishop Membership is a gift that the whole family can enjoy all year long! Purchase a new membership now through December 25, 2025, and receive two complimentary Laser Light Nights tickets as our holiday treat to you. It’s a festive surprise that keeps the fun going well beyond the season. 

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