Blog/News

Kathleen van Bergen on Stepping into the Role of Board Chair at From the Top After years of distinguished leadership in the arts, Kathleen van Bergen is taking on a new role as Board Chair of From the Top. Kathleen, who is in her 14th season as President and CEO of Artis—Naples, is well-known for […]

From the Top is approaching our 25th anniversary and we want to celebrate with you! We’re collecting audio, video, and written messages that we will feature on our broadcast/podcast and on social media during our 25th celebration from January to June 2025. We want to hear from you!! Instructions 1) Tell us your name and […]

“Making connections and friendships with From the Top Fellows was a beautiful experience and getting to bond over our shared passions for changing the mold of our field was really refreshing and inspiring.” – Gabriela Salvador Riera Congratulations to From the Top’s 2023-2024 Fellows! This season, 108 young musicians from across the United States joined […]

From the Top Invites Musicians from Rural/Small Town Backgrounds to Share a Musical Postcard! To build community among young artists from rural and small town backgrounds, From the Top invites musicians of all genres to share a musical postcard from their favorite hometown spot to their social media profile. Videos tagged @fromthetopfans and #WhereMusicLives will be […]

From the Top Announces Three-Week Broadcast Festival WHERE MUSIC LIVES Airing nationwide April 22 – May 6, 2024 with special guests Victor Wooten, Tessa Lark, and Jamie Barton BOSTON, MA – March 19, 2024 – NPR Music raves that From the Top is “proof that classical music in America is alive and kicking…a potent antidote […]

“Proof that classical music in America is alive and kicking…” –NPR Music From the Top Announces 2024 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Awards $10,000 Grants Increase Access to Highly Competitive Classical Music Training  2024 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient Sage Mae Lima-Jeffries, a 17-year-old cellist from Atlanta, records with From the Top host […]

We are pleased to announce ten new recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. The Young Artists will receive an award of up to $10,000 and have been accepted to From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which culminates in an appearance on From the Top’s NPR broadcast/podcast. The Fall 2023 Jack […]

This season, From the Top is recording in studios around the country, and we are giving some lucky fans access to watch the process in action! If you are in New York, Boston, Austin, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, please register here for your chance to access a guest pass and attend an exclusive behind-the-scenes […]

Daniel Colaner (Organ/Piano) lives in Akron, Ohio and is a recipient of From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. He is a student of David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music. Daniel is the Organ Scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and is also a member of the […]

As we complete our 2022-2023 season of learning, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the 87  young musicians who completed From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship. Each Fellow… Completed seven online learning sessions focusing on community engagement, artist life, and content creation/recording! Completed a community engagement project such as a virtual […]

“Tune in to From the Top and give yourself a dose of music and hope.” –Los Angeles Times From the Top Musicians with Disabilities Special Initiative National Performance Broadcast featuring Itzhak Perlman and Young Disabled/Neurodivergent Musicians Airing March 27 – April 2, 2023 Youth-Led Virtual Forums Co-Hosted with Kennedy Center VSA April 3-4, 2023 Plus: […]

From the Top is pleased to announce ten new recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. The Young Artists will receive an award of up to $10,000 and have been accepted to From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which culminates in an appearance on From the Top’s NPR radio program. The […]

We are pleased to announce the Fall 2022 recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. The ten recipients will receive an award of up to $10,000 and have been accepted to From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which culminates in an appearance on From the Top’s NPR radio program. Since 2005, […]

Meet the people behind From the Top’s weekly NPR radio show! Megan Swan, Director of Production Operations and Programming, joined From the Top as Music Director in 2019. Megan has enjoyed tenure as a creative producer, artistic programmer, educator, and musician having held positions in Strategic Initiatives, Artistic Programming, and Operations with the LA Phil/Hollywood […]

As one of the first members of From the Top’s creative team, Timothy Banker has been instrumental to From the Top’s success as a nationally syndicated radio program for 22 years. We salute him on an incredible two decades with From the Top as he moves on to pursue new opportunities. From the Top: You […]

From the Top musicians are multi-talented teens committed to many passions beyond the rehearsal room. Pianist Erin Chong was no exception – at the time of her 2002 appearance on Show 65, she was also a dedicated competitive swimmer (team captain, in fact). From the Top’s original teen “Roving Reporter” Haley Goldbach interviewed her swim […]

A colorful imagination can definitely inspire a great classical music performance. It certainly inspired 14-year-old harpist Anna DeLoi in 2010. Anna shared a chilling tale and a riveting performance of Performis Valse by Arnold Bax, a piece Anna nicknamed the “demented doll dance”. Check out this spooky performance and humorous moment on this week’s installment […]

In 2002, then 18-year-old guitarist Gohar Vardanyan appeared on From the Top while studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy (Show 75). She treated our audiences to an inspired performance of Regino Sainz de la Massa’s “Andaluza.” She also regaled us with a funny story about how her dad may have tricked her into practicing. Today, […]

This week on From the Top’s new podcast series highlighting moments from our archives, we hear the work of an incredible 12-year-old composer who has gone on to a very successful career in music. In June 2000, composer and pianist Sebastian Chang, from Trebuco Canyon, CA, appeared on From the Top’s 25th show in Boston. […]

This week marks the launch of From the Top’s new short form podcast series featuring brief but beautiful moments pulled from our archive.  Our first episode highlights the Norman North High School Chorale‘s powerful performance of Eric Whitacre’s “Water Night”, recorded in their home state at Oklahoma City University in 2011. Choir members also […]