Blog/News

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 257 was taped at the Chautauqua Amphitheater of the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York on Friday July 20, 2012. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Laura Park, 18, violin Waltz-Scherzo, Op.34 By: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky I think that the […]

October is a busy month here in From the Top land. Last week we taped a show in Troy, New York; this past weekend we taped one in Boston; we’re off to Greensburg, Pennsylvania in a few days, and then we round out the month in Davis, California! But will I manage to post my […]

From the Top alumni are doing amazing things! This summer, it seemed like every time we fired up the old internet-machine, we saw news of another From The Top alum making waves in the world of music and beyond. In the coming weeks, we’ll be updating you on a plethora of From the Top alumni. […]

[Music] is such an underrated resource, yet people use music every day. We have it in our cars, on our phones, in the grocery store – it is everywhere we go and it is used to alter or encourage our own moods. My hope is that people will be able to recognize music not only […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 256 was taped at the Palace Arts Center in Grapevine, Texas on Wednesday June 27, 2012 as part of the Military Child Education Coalition Conference. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: William Hume, 16, piano Rhapsody in B minor, Op.79, […]

In this week’s episode of From the Top, we teamed up with the Military Child Education Coalition to celebrate the talented and hardworking children of America’s service men and women. These fantastic performers shared the ups and downs of military life, from living on US bases in Germany and Belgium to dealing with a parent […]

From the Top alumni are speaking out about the state of orchestras today, emphasizing the value that these cultural institutions offer to their communities. For Jingxuan Zhang it is a personal issue affecting his hometown of Indianapolis, while Stanford Thomson takes a look at American orchestras and provides some thought-provoking solutions to some of the […]

“[Teaching] is one of the most important and gratifying professions, and I plan on continuing my new-found passion!” When violinist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Gloria Ferry-Brennan appeared on our show this past February (Brunswick 247), she took us on a magical spoken tour of her hometown: the colorful and picturesque Whidbey Island (off […]

Never would I have imagined when I joined From the Top over a decade ago, that there would come a day when our crew would travel all the way to China to tape our radio show, but earlier this summer, we had the amazing opportunity to tape not one, but two episodes of our radio […]

On this week’s episode of From the Top, host Christopher O’Riley interviews Broadway and television star Audra McDonald, touching on her musical beginnings, training at Juilliard, and learning to follow her instincts into a career path she loved. McDonald is currently starring in Broadway’s The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Listen to the interview.

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 254 was taped in the Brown Theater at Wortham Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday May 12, 2012. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Houston Youth Symphony Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72 from Fidelio By: Ludwig van Beethoven Meghan […]

We have had an unusually busy summer here at From the Top. We were in China very recently (look out for a blog about that adventure next week!), but right before leaving the country we taped a show at the famous Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. What a gorgeous place to spend the summer! […]

After an appearance on From the Top in 2008 (Show 192), violinist Ren Martin-Doike (now studying viola at the Curtis Institute) has been all about making connections with others through music. We’ve shared a number of these connections on our blog over the years, including a demonstration on the similarities between a string quartet and a rock band  for an […]

Being an arts leader to me means inspiring that “spark” in others so they can realize what they are capable of. It’s about empowering people to go after something they normally wouldn’t, or showing them a piece of their full potential and how easy it is to accomplish their goals. – Carson Marshall When 17 […]

A few weeks ago we were in Grapevine, Texas, where we taped an especially unique episode of the radio show featuring young musicians who’ve grown up in military families. Our show was part of the Military Child Education Coalition’s annual seminar, and our audience was full of the people who teach and support military kids. […]

I learned that it is extremely effective to have kids teach other kids. I think they were able to really connect with me in a way that you can’t connect with an adult teacher. Pianist Arianna Korting (Show 145, Boston, Massachusetts; Show 241, Washington, DC) is passionate about showing younger kids how enjoyable and fun […]

I learned that I can make an impact on kids’ lives regarding the arts, and realized how passionate I am about helping others. I would definitely do this again. Having lived with a nonverbal learning disorder since age 4, now 17 year-old violist Alexia DelGiudice, (Show 245) a From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist) fully […]

Here at Crossing Strings, I am teacher, friend, and mentor. After having the chance to work with younger kids at a summer music festival, violinist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Jisoo Kim (Show 240, Boston, Massachusetts) was inspired to start a lesson program in her own neighborhood. She created Crossing Strings: a program for […]

“I think that performing and sharing is crucial for young people like us. This concert definitely showed the parents and the greater Interlake community that its musical scene is full of life.” Dong Won (pictured above at his From the Top appearance in Washington D.C – Show 241) After receiving notice that the Interlake High […]

I have now been cancer free for 11 years. Music played an enormous part in my own healing process and has continued to be an incredibly important part of who I am. I can’t imagine my life without it. In January of 2001, six-year-old Hannah Moses (Show 241) was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphona. While being […]