Blog/News

Here at From the Top, we’ve used this time to check in on our extended family of alumni. We have been delighted to receive updates from many alumni who have inventively shifted their work to help others during this pandemic. Their leadership is inspiring. Many others are calling on musical projects to offer hope and […]

This week on From the Top’s podcast, we have a special performance of Peter Dugan’s own arrangement of Holst’s “Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity” from The Planets, recorded at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Calderwood Hall on February 6, 2020. From the Top · BONUS TRACK: Host Peter Dugan performs his arrangement of “Jupiter” If […]

What connects skateboarding and Paganini Violin Caprices? For Phillip Hammond, 17 year-old violinist from Bloomington, Indiana and a recipient of From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, it’s all about taking risks. Being able to pull off these techniques, whether on a skateboard or on a violin, requires him to be committed and […]

We are pleased to announce our upcoming Daily Joy Facebook Live events. Join us at Facebook.com/FromtheTopFans/Live. Upcoming Facebook Live Events: Wednesday April 29th – 8PM ET – Facebook Live: Inside the Episode with Peter Dugan and Philadelphia-based double bassist Braden Ellis. They will discuss From the Top’s new “Blanket Fort Show”, a program recorded remotely in […]

This week’s show is the re-broadcast of Show 364 taped in Beaver Creek, Colorado last January 2019. We asked the show performers for their favorite memories of recording with co-hosts Charles Yang and Peter Dugan at the beautiful Vilar Performing Arts Center. Flutist Scott Quirk from Los Angeles kicks things off with his reflections and […]

We are thrilled to invite you to another From the Top Daily Joy Facebook Live concert, this Friday, April 17, at 6 PM ET featuring “Needham State of Mind”: Ilana and Eric Zaks from Needham, Massachusetts. The duo will play a program featuring music of all genres. Ilana appeared on the show at age 14. She and Eric were […]

Helen Bryant was one of the performers on this week’s show, recorded at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta, GA. Recently, she reflected on the powerful experience she had connected with this show and shared a recording of one her favorite works – the fifth movement of Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op.12, “In der […]

This post is meant to serve as a resource to our alumni. We are aware of some relief funds for artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we will update it as we learn of opportunities. Artist Relief Coalition Fund Tarisio Strings Gives Back YoungArts Alumni Emergency […]

We are thrilled to invite you to another From the Top Daily Joy Facebook Live concert, this Friday, April 10, at 6 PM ET with the amazing Pogossian Family Quintet, featuring three FTT alums: Anoush, Cara, and Eddie, and their talented parents Varty and Movses. About the Pogossian Family: Varty Manouelian made her American debut in […]

13-year-old Harpist Olivia Lee is one of the outstanding young artists featured on this week’s From the Top episode from Boston, Massachusetts. All of the performers on this show participated in a four-day residency where they used their artistry to connect with the community. Here, Olivia reflects on that powerful experience: A few years ago […]

Join us this Friday, April 3 at 6pm ET for a From the Top Facebook Live Concert with the Sempre Sisters String Duo – featuring Olivia (20) and Charlotte (18) Marckx of Bellevue, Washington. You may remember Charlotte from our popular take on “Shake it Off”. For Day 16 of Daily Joy, Charlotte and Olivia […]

Reflections on this week’s podcast from Announcer Joanne Robinson: Over my nearly twenty years as From the Top’s announcer, I’ve had the good fortune to continually have the best seat in the house. From my perch onstage, just to left of the performance area next to our towering “On the Air” sign, I’ve gotten to […]

Join guitar duo Jack and Elle Davisson for a very special From the Top Facebook Live performance from their home in Palo Alto, California this Friday, March 27, 2020 at 6 PM ET. Visit Facebook.com/FromtheTopfans. See you there!

This article was adapted from a blog post published by Eunice Lee in August 2019. It is part of our ongoing series exploring the projects launched by the recipients of our Alumni Leadership Grant. Special thanks to the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation for their support of From the Top’s Alumni Leadership Grants. Eunice Lee is […]

Violinist Elena Urioste recently joined From the Top as co-host of the NPR’s From the Top show recorded in Key West in January 2020. Elena’s career has spanned from soloing with major orchestras in the United States and abroad to chamber music performances at major festivals, and extensive recital performance. Last week, she released her […]

On a Wednesday afternoon, eleven From the Top young musicians gathered in Boston to begin a 4-day residency. They arrived as strangers; some having traveled across the country to be there. One goal was clear – the young musicians had to prepare for a performance and recording for NPR’s From the Top radio show. (In fact, the group […]

From the Top Announces Peter Dugan as Permanent Host of its NPR Program  Vijay Gupta, Alex Laing, Tessa Lark, Orli Shaham and Charles Yang Comprise From the Top’s Newly Formed Team of Co-hosts & Creatives Boston, Massachusetts (January 23, 2020) – From the Top, America’s largest platform celebrating the voices and talents of America’s brightest […]

On this week’s bonus podcast, we dive deeper into From the Top’s coverage of the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Competition (Show 374). Pianist Alessio Bax is interviewed by From the Top guest host, Peter Dugan about serving as the Jury Chairman and the nature of competitions. Download the podcast now.

This article was published by the Portland Press Herald on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. Young Maine musicians to perform in Portland for NPR’s ‘From the Top’ by Bob Keyes, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Three young musicians from Maine will join seven peers from other parts of the country when the radio program “From the […]

This article originally appeared on The Harvard Crimson. On Sunday, October 6, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall was abuzz. A hustling production crew weaved through the audience as fans of all ages filed into their seats. As the house lights dimmed, the wooden paneling that soared above the stage on all sides took on a […]