Blog/News

Nick Romeo continues his coverage for us on From the Top alums in the Van Cliburn Competition. 24-year-old pianist Steven Lin, who appeared on Show 157 when he was 17, was one of six From the Top alumni to enter the preliminary round. LIFE AFTER (BUT STILL DURING) THE CLIBURN by Nick Romeo After not advancing beyond the […]

From the Top is very proud to have six alumni competing in the Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, one of whom, Sean Chen, has advanced to the semi-finals round.  Nick Romeo, the author of “Driven: Six Incredible Musical Journeys,” is covering the competition and got a chance to speak with competitor Lindsay Garritson, who […]

From the Top Show 271 was taped at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts in New Albany, Ohio in March 2013. Learn what the performers have to say about their musical performances. Audrey Watkins, 16, flute III. Presto giocoso from Sonata for Flute and Piano By: Francis Poulenc This piece is extremely hormonal, […]

From the Top host Christopher O’Riley has released a new recording, O’Riley’s Liszt which delves into the transcriptions of the master interpreter. The  2-CD set and HD audio/video Blu-ray features Christopher’s own touches on the works of Mozart, Wagner, Berlioz, Schubert, and Schumann. Christopher is also making live appearances in conjunction with the May 7 release, …

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced that From the Top is one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. From the Top is recommended for two grants totaling $105,000 to support production of From the Top’s weekly radio show and From the Top’s education and outreach programs. […]

Six years after appearing on From the Top, 22-year-old alum Eliodoro Vallecillo is paying it forward in his hometown of Salinas, California. Through his own after-school music program and traditional Mexican band, he hopes to develop new audiences for Mexican music and offer new opportunities for kids in Salinas. Eliodoro wowed audiences on both From […]

While taping in Athens, Georgia, From the Top performers visited with 25 students from Clarke Middle School to share what they love about music. The experience greatly affected one performer, who was deeply touched by the students’ excitement and curiosity. “The school visit had an emotional effect on me, and I am so grateful for […]

It is with excitement that we report that six From the Top alumni have been named among  30 competitors in the Van Cliburn Competition, May 24 – June 9 in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions. The Van Cliburn Competition was founded in 1962 to recognize the great pianist Van Cliburn, […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 270 was taped at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music in Athens, GA on Sunday March 3, 2013. We asked our performers to tell us more about their experience on the show… Maria Ioudenitch, 17, violin Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op.16 By: Henryk Wieniawski The Scherzo-Tarantella merges precision, tenderness, and passio […]

From the Top wishes to extend warmest congratulations to all of the young performers, including eleven From the Top alumni, who were chosen to be part of the National Youth Orchestra this summer! Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together 120 of the nation’s top young classical musicians to tour some of the […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 269 was taped at the McCoy Center for the Arts in Mesa, AZ on Tuesday February 19, 2013. We asked our performers to tell us more about their experience on the show… Austen Yueh, 16, clarinet IV. Molto Allegro from Sonata in E-flat for Clarinet and Piano, Op.167 By: […]

We think music is powerful stuff and we love sharing that message with the different communities we visit on tour. While taping in Mesa, Arizona in February (Show 269), we had a number of opportunities to do just that. It all started the day of our show with a morning trip to Archway Classical Academy in […]

In 2007, when composer Stephen Feigenbaum appeared on From the Top Show 152 at the age of 18, his piece “Serenade for Strings” was performed by a string quintet made up of local students. Later, the piece was was recorded by the Cincinnati Pops for the From the Top CD release “From the Top at […]

9-year-old violinist Elizabeth Aoki charmed listeners when she appeared on Show 261 in Boston, Massachusetts. During a visit to Phoenix, Arizona with her mother, Elizabeth’s musical talent also won the hearts of residents living at the Freedom Plaza Retirement Community. She worked with a family friend to organize the event and played some violin favorites […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 268 featuring was taped with UApresents at Centennial Hall in Tucson, AZ on Sunday February 17, 2013. We asked our performers to tell us more about their experience on the show… Elli Choi, 11, violin I. Allegro vivo from Sonata in G minor for Violin and Piano  By: Claude Debussy […]

“I imagine these experiences will be invaluable to my future, where I will continue to provide music for those who are willing to accept it.” Ever since he was young, composer, pianist, and From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient Franz Zhao (Show 257) has seen the inspiring effect that music can have […]

Chelsea Kim, 17, violin Romance in F minor, Op.11 – by Antonín Dvořák This is one of the most beautiful pieces that I’ve played. Mr. Weilerstein (my teacher) teaches me to think of a color when playing a specific scale/passage, and this piece shows me gradients and mixtures of colors that I could not even think […]

While on tour, we have visited some really inspiring music programs in schools across the country. For our taping with the Colorado Symphony this January, we had the opportunity to connect with El Sistema Colorado – a program dedicated to “transform[ing] the lives of children through music.” They are in residence at the Garden Place Academy […]

Nicholas King is a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient who appeared on Show 177 in New Albany, Ohio, and the experience was life-changing. He says, “From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation showed me the importance of supporting young musicians. Without the scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation I wouldn’t […]

From the Top loves reaching out to the communities we visit on our tour! While we were in Dallas in January, we brought three young musicians to visit a group of teens at the Pleasant Grove Branch Library. Our soloists were Russell Houston (age 18, cello), Aakash Patel (age 19, violin), and Chase Dobson (age […]