Shelter Island Music Program Awarded $40,000 Grant From National Endowment For The Arts

The Perlman Music Program (PMP) has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support their 2017 summer music school. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $30 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for the 2017 fiscal year. This grant is designed to assist programs that meet the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts.

“The arts are for all of us, and by supporting organizations such as The Perlman Music Program, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”

Approximately 40 young string players from all over the world attend The Perlman Music Program’s Summer Music School, which is a seven-week long program for exceptionally gifted students in Shelter Island. Itzhak Perlman leads the faculty who guide a daily schedule where students explore solo, chamber music, choral, and orchestral repertoire in a rigorous, yet non-competitive environment. Students in this program will have the chance to refine their repertoire, while locals and tourists are invited to attend dozens of free, public events on PMP’s Shelter Island campus.

Toby Perlman speaks to the audience. (Photo: Annie Watt for The Perlman Music Program)

“We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for supporting our mission to nurture the future of classical music,” said Toby Perlman, Founder and Director of The Perlman Music Program. “Our concerts are attended by thousands of music lovers, whose encouragement enables our Summer Music School students to take artistic risks and develop their own musical voice. We are proud to share our students’ music-making with the public and to be a part of the vibrant arts community on the East End.”

The Perlman Music Program was founded in 1994 by Toby Perlman. The PMP offers unparalleled musical training to young string players of rare and special talent.

For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov.

The Perlman Music Program is located at 73 Shore Road in Shelter Island Heights. For more information, call 212-877-5045 or visit perlmanmusicprogram.org.