Vinca Quartet Selected for PMP/Suncoast’s Education Outreach Program
This acclaimed chamber group will give three public appearances as part of its two-week October residency
(Sarasota, FL) Members of the acclaimed Vinca Quartet are visiting Sarasota and Manatee county schools through October 29, 2010, as part of The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast (PMP/Suncoast) Education Outreach Program. Now in its second year, PMP/Suncoast’s Education Outreach Program brings PMP alumni into area schools as professional teaching artists. This year, Vinca Quartet musicians, including PMP alumna, violist Laura Seay, are presenting interactive performances and offering hands-on training for area music students and their teachers. The curriculum covers music vocabulary and concepts, articulations played upon string instruments, and an overview of the lives of composers. Twelve area schools are participating in this two-week outreach program. (A list of participating schools is provided below.) The Vinca Quartet will return in January for another one-week residency in area schools.
The PMP/Suncoast Education Outreach Program was launched in October 2009 with the support of The Juilliard School, Columbia University’s Teacher College, Toby and Itzhak Perlman and the faculty of The Perlman Music Program. The program is led by long-time music educator and PMP/Suncoast board member Barbara Staton. Cindy Balistreri, the former fine arts program specialist for the School Board of Sarasota County, serves as the program’s consultant for developing the curriculum-based programming, working hand-in-hand with Laura Seay and her creative ideas for writing lessons connecting musical concepts with academic subjects and the Sunshine State Standards.
“This program brings the experience of PMP music-making to area students and teachers,” says Staton. “Students learn directly from professional—and acclaimed—musicians. It’s a rare opportunity.”
The PMP/Suncoast Education Outreach Program also presents free concerts open to the public under the name of The Performance Series. The first of these featured the Vinca Quartet, October 20, 7:30 p.m., at Riverview High, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. Their second public performance will be October 27, 7:30 p.m., at Braden River High School, 6545 State Road 70 East, Bradenton. The group also performed an interactive family concert, October 24, 2:30 p.m., at Piano Distributors of Sarasota, 4441 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information on ticket distribution and more, visit www.PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org.
Hailed by The New York Times as “stunning” and “musicians worth keeping an eye on,” the Vinca Quartet is a charismatic group committed to forging bonds between audiences and performers by sharing their own passion for chamber music through the highest caliber performances.
“We feel very lucky to have a group as renowned as The Vinca Quartet offer its expertise to area music students and teachers,” says Elizabeth Power, executive director of PMP/Suncoast, adding that the program is entirely funded by PMP/Suncoast grants, donations and sponsorships.
Now in its seventh year, The Perlman Music Program’s Winter Residency has been providing free admission to diverse audiences of about 13,000 each year for rehearsals, performances and master classes both in the community and on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. This year’s program is December 28, 2010, through January 8, 2011. This intensive two-week program was founded by Toby Perlman, wife of internationally acclaimed concert violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman, and offers unparalleled musical training for students, ages 12 to 20+, who play the violin, viola, cello, and bass. With a faculty led by Itzhak Perlman and comprising some of the most gifted musical talents of our time, the PMP Winter Residency offers an artistic and personal experience that changes students’ lives forever. A schedule of free events will be available online beginning October 15.
For more information about The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast, visit www.PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org or contact Elizabeth Power, executive director, 941-955-4942.
ABOUT THE PERLMAN MUSIC PROGRAM/SUNCOAST
The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast was established in June 2008 as an independent non-profit organization with the mission to provide operational stability and funding support for a permanent Sarasota Winter Residency for the Perlman Music Program. Founded by Toby Perlman, and with world-renowned faculty members led by her husband, internationally acclaimed violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman, The Perlman Music Program augments its six-week summer program in Shelter Island, NY, with a two-week intensive Winter Residency each December in Sarasota, FL. The residency provides valuable enrichment and performance opportunities for the young musicians (ages 12-20) being nurtured in this unique experience, and a rich opportunity for community audiences to experience the magic of musical mentoring through free public events on the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee campus. The program culminates with a “Celebration Concert,” featuring Itzhak Perlman directing the international PMP Chamber Orchestra.
The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast recently expanded its program offerings to serve Sarasota and Manatee county schools by bringing PMP alumni to Southwest Florida during the academic school year for in-school residencies. Under the name of The PMP/S Education Outreach program, PMP alumni serve as teaching and performing artists to support recruitment, training, and inspiration in school orchestra programs and present free recitals for the public in the newly created Performance Series. For more information, visit www.PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org.
ABOUT THE PERLMAN MUSIC PROGRAM
Since 1994, The Perlman Music Program has been recognized as a world-class program that brings together exceptionally talented young musicians to study in a rigorous, but non-competitive, atmosphere. This program is the realization of Toby Perlman’s long-time dream to offer a nurturing environment to young musicians as a way to help them develop not only musically, but personally—to enrich their talent, build confidence, and strengthen respect for themselves and others. This unique music program combines educational and performance opportunities while fostering the individuality of each student’s talents in support of the development of the whole person. For more than 15 years, The Perlman Music Program has drawn students from all over the world. Students participating in the PMP Sarasota Winter Residency previously participated in a six-week summer Perlman Music Program on Shelter Island in New York, and many have performed in multiple concert appearances. Past residencies have included Israel and China and a variety of concert engagements, including performances for the Kennedy Center Honors, Live from Lincoln Center (TV broadcast), Mostly Mozart Festival at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For more information, visit www.perlmanmusicprogram.org.
PMP/Suncoast Education Outreach 2010-2011 School Participants:
Manatee County
- Lee Middle School
- Nolan Middle School
- Manatee High School
- Daughtrey Elementary School
- Rowlett Elementary School
- Tilman Elementary School
Sarasota County
- Pine View Middle School
- Pine View High School
- Riverview High School
- Ashton Elementary School
- Fruitville Elementary School
- Pine View Elementary School
