Blog/News

Big news – From the Top alums George Li (Show 144) and Conrad Tao (Show 107 and Show 232) have just been named recipients of the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award! As Gilmore Young Artists, both George and Conrad will each receive $15,000 to further their musical career and education, as well as a $10,000 […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 234 was taped in the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Virginia Arts Festival in Virgina Beach, Virginia on Wednesday May 4, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Naomi Benecasa, 17, cello II. Scherzo from […]

Pianist/composer Neara Rusell recently released her third studio album, a self-produced pop/rock adventure titled “Noise and Silence.” Neara appeared on From the Top Show 132 in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 17, where she performed one of her own compositions with mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule – “Lemonade Pie” from “Food for the Gods…and me.” After […]

Today we are pleased to announce dates for our 2011-12 national tour! Each year we crisscross the country, recording our popular NPR radio program hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley. Next season will include concert events at our home base at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, and in cities from Washington, DC to Portland, OR. […]

On March 10th, 9-year-old pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Ray Ushikubo was invited by his school district to perform for his hometown’s Chamber of Commerce at their monthly gathering. The goal of the presentation was to introduce students who “represent more than just test scores.” The meeting took place at the Riverside Mission […]

Last week pianist Lindsay Garritson sent us an update on her musical career. Currently a Master’s student at the Yale School of Music studying with renowned pianist Boris Berman, Lindsay is proud to have just won the school-wide concerto competition! As a result, she will perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Yale […]

The day after taping Show #233 in Carmel, IN, our Education Team traveled with two performers, harpist Katie Kapelsohn and cellist Matt Liversedge, to Carmel Elementary School. They met with nearly 50 students grades K through 5 who take class with music teacher Cynthia Baney. Matt Liversedge, from Wilmore, KY, is the recipient of From […]

Even if you’ve been following From the Top for a short time, you probably can tell how proud we are of our alumni. It’s always fun to hear from one of our young-performers-turned-professional, so we were excited to receive an update from clarinetist Samantha Angelo last week. Samantha appeared on Show 022 in Lake Buena […]

Earlier this year, we were deeply moved by a young man who submitted his music outreach project to our Arts Leadership Map. At thirteen years old, guitarist Ben Werdergar has already made a difference in the world through his music. After hearing a story about Iraqi children needing wheelchairs, Ben wanted to use his music […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 233 was taped in The Palladium at The Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Matthew Liversedge, 16, cello II. Am Springbrunnen (At the Fountain) from 4 Pieces for Cello and […]

This past weekend, From the Top taped a radio show at the beautiful Shalin Liu Performance Center of Rockport Music. We had four amazing young soloists from all across the country, as well as a fabulous string quartet from our hometown of Boston. The day of the show, our performers gathered on the Shalin Liu […]

We are gearing up for the final show of our 2010-11 season – a sure-to-be exciting taping in Katonah, New York on June 26 at 4:30pm! About an hour north of New York City, Katonah is a beautiful, village-like community. We’ll be taping at the Venetian Theater at the Caramoor Center for Music and the […]

For the past three years From the Top has partnered with Orchestra Iowa (formerly Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra) to celebrate the excitement and joy of kids making classical music through Iowa Makes Music, a multi-faceted residency funded by the United States Department of Education. Since the fall of 2008, the Iowa Makes Music (IMM) project […]

We just taped a show in Rockport at what may have been the most beautiful concert hall I’ve ever performed in – the Shalin Liu Performance Center. The back of the stage featured a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking a sparking blue bay – a stunning backdrop for the show’s talented performers! Opening the show […]

16-year-old pianist and composer Conrad Tao (From the Top Shows 107 and 232 and From the Top at Carnegie Hall Season 1) performed with the Pacific Symphony and Carl St.Clair on Thursday, June 3, 2011. The concert was originally supposed to feature Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, but she had to cancel due to illness. Rick Schultz […]

Starting June 4, 2011, From the Top will air on 99.5 All Classical in Massachusetts on Saturdays at 5pm. This is part of a WGBH initiative called “Classical Kids,” providing education, entertainment, games, videos and resources designed to bring kids closer to classical music. You can still listen to From the Top on-demand on our […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 232 was taped in the Dekelboum Concert Hall (within the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center) at the University of Maryland College Park, MD on Saturday, April 16, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Kimberly Hou, 16, piano IV. Fuga: […]

On May 21st cellist and From the Top alum Oliver Aldort (Show 126 in Boston) gave a recital in Miami Beach, Florida as part of the Miami International Piano Festival. Below is a video excerpt from Oliver’s performance, featuring the Chopin Sonata. This summer Oliver will attend the Tanglewood Summer Festival Program, and in the […]

Hi everyone! Last week we were in Oklahoma City, where we taped an episode of the radio show at Kirkpatrick Auditorium on the beautiful campus of Oklahoma City University. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel, which happened to have a bright red grand piano in the lobby, right outside of a sports bar, and it […]

This past weekend, From the Top taped a radio show at Oklahoma City University’s Kirkpatrick Auditorium. This show featured four stellar soloists, as well as a 50-person youth chorale! Our four instrumentalists and two of the choir members joined us the next morning for the Arts Leadership Orientation, where we explored the ways that music […]