August 09, 2007
Changing the Lives of The Young Musicians –
Celebrated violinist brings his charges to Old Whalers
As the director of the Summer Music School at the Perlman Music Program, Toby Perlman is simultaneously a camp den mother and musical mentor. The Summer Music School is an intensive six and a half-week residency program on Shelter Island, started by Perlman and her husband, the venerated violinist Itzak Perlman, for extremely gifted musical students ages 12 to 18. At the camp Perlman’s responsibilities include making sure the girls’ defective bathrooms are repaired, and professor for the violin class. “I am the one who listens to all of the complaints and solves all of the problems,” says Toby. “But I am a mother a five so I am used to it.”
At the Summer Music School, which brings several students to Sag Harbor’s Old Whalers Church, Perlman has worked tirelessly to create an atmosphere of trust between her and the students, an attitude that affects their progress and experience at the camp. “I never try to be cruel or negative with the kids. If they tell me something in confidence it stays between them and me,” says Perlman, “and I find that I do see the kids change. I see them grow as people.”
Providing an environment in which students can flourish, was one of the main reasons that Perlman created the camp 13 years ago. As a musician and mother of musically-inclined children, Perlman recalls that whenever she encountered a music program she would dream of what she would do with her own music program. During her kids’ childhood, Perlman was a stay-at-home mom, but after her youngest child entered his tween years, Perlman seriously considered returning to work. The timing and opportunity to realize her dream of running a music camp presented itself. The Perlman Music Program was subsequently born, and soon a generous patron donated a large parcel of land in Sagaponack. This property was eventually sold, and the campus was then built on Shelter Island, which according to Perlman has been a perfect location.
Over the years the program has significantly grown. In the first year the summer music school was just two weeks long, now the school is six-and-a-half weeks long and runs from June 21 to August 4. The program now includes series of performances and programs throughout the year. There is a two-week residency in Sarasota, Florida, during the students’ winter break. Students have made trips to China and Israel to perform, and this fall they will perform at the Metropolitan Opera House. After the Summer Music School concludes for the season, there is a Chamber Music Workshop from August 9 to August 26, for musicians ages 18 to 30.
One thing that has remained the same since the beginning of the program is the size of the Summer Music School and the Chamber Music Workshop, which have 34 and 40 students respectively. “I think that around 35 is a magic number,” says Perlman. “It is bigger than a family, but small enough that I know what everyone ate for dinner or who just fought with their boyfriend.”
At the music camp, friendships and relationships are fostered, and kindred spirits are found, amongst this group of immensely talented students. Many of them have chosen to be home-schooled in an effort to focus on their budding musical careers, which can become very isolating. “I think that some of these kids are kept in a kind of mold of the gifted child,” says Perlman. “They practice four hours a day. Their families are making sacrifices for them. I think they feel the weight of responsibility. But when they come here they find kids who have a lot in common with them.” Each year, the students are invited to return to the music school, thus many of these friendships have been maintained through the years. The bonds coupled with the integrity of the musical instruction at the school, have made the camp a life changing experience for many of the students. “The program is about making a musician and being a person. We want to cultivate all aspects of their personality,” says Perlman. “The kids are at a very intense time in their development. But I see so much personally growth and enormous possibility in them.”
With very few spots open each year, the music school remains highly selective. The school receives almost 400 applications a year, but openings can be as few as two, since many of the former students return each year. The applicants submit a videotape of a performance, and then each teacher chooses who they will select for their class. Perlman and her husband, Itzak, teach the violin class, and they will watch 80 to 100 applicant films. According to Perlman, their method in selecting a student cannot be boiled down to a science. “Nearly every applicant is [technically] good enough,” says Perlman, “We don’t choose the kid who plays the fastest or the most advanced. We choose the kid who moves us, who is artistic and has the ability to move one out of the sphere of consciousness.” A student’s financial situation also doesn’t factor into the selection process, and almost 82% of the students receive full or partial scholarships.
The Chamber Music Workshop is similarly selective, though the experience of the students, who range in ages from 18 to 30, is remarkably different. Many of the students perform on a professional level, and apply as a group. The workshop focuses on the study of chamber music through the string quartet and piano trio repertoire.
Although the Summer Music School has ended, the Chamber Music Workshop students and faculty will perform at the Old Whalers Church, 44 Union Street, Sag Harbor, on Friday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m. Faculty including Toby Perlman’s husband, Itzak Perlman, Merry Peckham, Don and Vivian Weilerstein, and Paul Katz will perform some of the most celebrated pieces of chamber music alongside the workshop’s students. General tickets are $10 and reserved tickets are $50. For more information call (212) 877-3230.
