Perlman Music Program/Suncoast announces alumni concerts

The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast's annual two-week winter residency featuring a small army of international string instrument students performing concerts, conducting classes and playing in various programs has been one of the highlights of the winter concert season since 2004. 

Running from Dec. 17 through Jan. 2, the musical program founded by educator Toby Perlman and led by her husband, world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, has produced a generation of young artists who have gone on to professional success in the classical music world. And this year a few of those alumni are returning to Sarasota to share what they've learned.

Starting in the fall and extending into the spring, the Perlman Music Program Alumni: In Concert series will feature three concerts representing the diverse talents the program has produced over the years. Individual tickets cost $35 and are $75 for the complete series. 

The first concert is at 3 p.m. Oct. 10, at the Sarasota Opera House, and features Molly Carr, viola, and Yannick Rafalimanana, piano. Carr has gone on from the program to earn a bachelor's and master's degree from the Juilliard School as well as earned a faculty position at the school's pre-college program in New York City. She also serves on the faculty of the Galamian School in Malaga, Spain. Rafalimanana began his music studies at the Conservatory of Lille in France. He graduated with first-place prizes in piano performance and chamber music and collaborative piano performance from the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. The pair just recently visited Sarasota as a part of the Perlman Music Program's educational outreach program to area schools.

At 3 p.m. Nov. 22, at the Sarasota Opera House, Perlman Music Program faculty members and alumni Sean Lee, violin, and Peter Dugan, piano will perform. Lee first joined the program at the age of 15 and now teaches alongside Itzhak Perlman. His debut album featuring the Richard Strauss "Violin Sonata" reached the top 20 albums on iTunes' classical music charts. Dugan first joined in the program at the age of 14 in 2003. He has served on the staff during the Sarasota winter residency for years. 

And once the winter residency concludes and the Sarasota arts season concludes, the Ariel Quartet (comprised of Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violins; Jan Grüning, viola; and Amit Even-Tov, cello) will perform at 3 p.m. April 17, at the Venice Performing Arts Center. The quartet formed in Israel 17 years ago and came to the United States to study with Perlman Music Program. The quartet has rapidly gained an international reputation including performing the complete cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven's "String Quartets" (17 string quartets performed in six concerts).