On Saturday, June 23, 2012, The Perlman Music Program celebrated the grand opening of the Kristy and James H. Clark Arts Center on its Shelter Island campus.
Guests arrived to a fireside barbecue dinner and enjoyed perfect weather, delicious food, and spectacular views from the Program’s idyllic beachfront campus. After the meal, founders Toby and Itzhak Perlman, leadership donors Kristy and James H. Clark, Board President Morgan Stark and his wife Sidney, and Treasurer Randall Blank and his wife Christine gathered together under the eaves of the dazzling new Clark Arts Center behind a giant red ribbon. Toby Perlman warmly thanked Kristy and Jim Clark and all the guests for their support, and spoke about how much the new Clark Arts Center means to all of the students, faculty, and staff of the Program. Kristy and Jim Clark did the honors and cut the ribbon to enthusiastic cheers. Toby Perlman then welcomed everyone in for the first official tour of the state-of-the-art building. Highlights of the tour included the acoustically perfect 100-seat recital hall, ten individual practice rooms, a spacious teaching studio, a walk-in cedar closet full of concert gowns, and a peek into the generously sized girls’ dormitory on the second floor. To conclude the evening, everyone gathered in the recital hall for inspired orchestral, choral, and solo performances by the Summer Music School students.

This memorable night ushered in a new era for The Perlman Music Program. The Kristy and James H. Clark Arts Center has already become the epicenter of campus, hosting performances, practice and coaching sessions, and choral and orchestral rehearsals almost every day. In addition, the Clark Arts Center will soon be the new home of the Alumni Concerts Festival, in which distinguished PMP alumni return to present world-class performances to local audiences. The inaugural recital will take place on Friday, August 10 at 7:30 PM, featuring violist Juan Miguel Hernandez. However, the Campaign for the Clark Arts Center isn’t over yet – now in its third year, there is just $700,000 to go before the $3.5 million fundraising goal has been met.

Guests included Christine and Randall Blank, Maya Carmin, Helen and Murray Charash, Gary Clark, Kristy and James H. Clark, Jay Dweck, Paul Ferrillo, Eva Gayer, Janice Gerton, Barbara L. Goldsmith, Shelley Gross, Neal Hamil, Susan and Joe Hine, Jennifer Homans, Sonja and Anthony Kane, Anna Kaplan, Marie Antoinette Mangeot, Adam Meyer, Icim and Mark Miller, Katie Nojima, Merry Peckham, Toby and Itzhak Perlman, Bill and Pat Perlmuth, Ava Roosevelt and Christopher M. Twardy, Robert Siegel, Morgan and Sidney Stark, Julie Tulper, Svetlana and Herbert Wachtell, Barbara and Sedgwick Ward, and Paul Wolfram.

Founded by Toby Perlman 18 years ago, The Perlman Music Program offers unparalleled musical training to young string players of rare and special talent. With a world-class faculty led by Itzhak Perlman, the New York City and Shelter Island, NY based program seeks to develop the future leaders of classical music, all within a nurturing and supportive musical community. http://www.perlmanmusicprogram.org/