Blog/News

We are really excited to announce that multiple From the Top alums have made it to the final round of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra! Voting ends tomorrow so please click over and vote for our alums (links below). The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is a global endeavor devoted to sharing the love of music and celebrating […]

This week’s From the Top broadcast (Show 222) was taped at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA on Tuesday November 02, 2010. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Jean Kim, 15, cello Capriccio By Lukas Foss The Capriccio, for me, is like the background music of a […]

From the Top alum and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Clifton Williams will give a performance in Boston next week! You may remember this young pianist from Show 195 in Boston in March 2009, where he performed Suggestion Diabolique by Sergei Prokofiev. Next Monday Clifton will join the Berklee College of Music’s Reverance Gospel Ensemble and […]

Last week, From the Top taped a show at Lehigh University in the beautiful town of Bethlehem, PA. Our four soloists joined us the following morning at the Arts Leadership orientation, where we explored the way music can make a difference and shared inspiring examples of arts leadership. We were truly fortunate to have one […]

We’re back in Boston after taping a show this past weekend at the Zoellner Performing Arts Center on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful show in all respects, starting with the opening act: flutist Rachel Rodgers, 15, who played Giulio Briccialdi’s Carnival of Venice. In addition to playing classical, […]

From the Top alum and violinist Alice Ivy-Pemberton (Show #174 in Boston, Massachusetts) recently raised a couple thousand dollars for schools in Haiti! Alice gave a solo benefit recital at the Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, Massachusetts on Sunday, November 21. The concert raised almost $2,000 for St. Matthew’s School in Bayonnais, Haiti – enough […]

From the Top Alum Bryanne Presley, oboist from Nevada, Iowa, participated in two performances with renowned opera singer Simon Estes as part of his Roots and Wings tour. The Roots and Wings tour has a goal to provide outreach to all ninety-nine counties in Iowa and raise funds for the Simon Estes Iowa Educational Foundation, […]

Currently the 10th International Sibelius Violin Competition is taking place in Helsinki, Finland and two From the Top alums are among the six international finalists! First and Second round competitors also includes From the Top alums Eunice Keem, Elly Suh and Stephen Kim. This is really exciting for Emma Steele and Nancy Zhou – the Sibelius […]

This week’s radio show is a special “Alumni Musical Mavericks” episode where we hear from several From the Top alums who have continued their music and done some really cool things. The show includes a violist who hosts her own exciting radio show in New York, an award winning composer, a concert pianist and more. […]

As you probably know, along with Carnegie Hall we have been very busy with The Big Break – An online YouTube contest looking for the best young musicians in America. Today we are pleased to announced our 15 finalists – and invite YOU to vote for YOUR favorite performances now through December 14! Finalists were drawn […]

Last week, From the Top traveled to Abilene, TX to tape a very special radio show in the beautiful First Baptist Church. Read more about the show here. The morning after the show, the fantastic five performers got together for the arts leadership orientation and explored the power of music to create positive change in the world. […]

Bravo to the hundreds of young musicians who joined From the Top and Carnegie Hall’s Big Break contest. They all did a wonderful job preparing their entries, we couldn’t be more impressed – congrats to all! For the moment, please enjoy the gallery of submissions at http://www.YouTube.com/BigBreak, and give these young musicians a well deserved […]

Hi everyone! We just got back from taping a show in Abilene, Texas, and it was an unforgettable experience. From the place we stayed to the venue we played, to the terrific kids and unexpected music, it was definitely one-of-a-kind! Special thanks to the folks at KACU Abilene Public Radio for their warm welcome and […]

For our fourth blog of The Parents’ Perspective we asked for both parent and reader feedback on which topic to discuss – skipping school for the sake of music, or dealing with stage fright and nerves. Both are great (and important) topics, but we had overwhelming interest in discussing the matter of skipping school for […]

Yesterday we recorded an episode of From the Top in Abilene, Texas, which will air the week of December 27. Our presence in the town actually inspired 2nd and 4th grade classes at Allie Ward Elementary School to put on their own radio project! You can listen to the podcast about this production by Zane […]

This week’s From the Top broadcast (Show 221) was taped in Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 24, 2010. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Francesca Bass, 15, violin Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20, No. 1 (Gypsy Airs) By: Pablo de Sarasate This is a really […]

A new trend is emerging in performance around the world – random acts of classical music. Maybe you’ve heard of flash mobs, where hundreds of people suddenly appear in a public place to perform a random and pointless act for a few brief minutes, and then dissipate. This idea is catching on in the musical […]

From the Top alum and violinist Stephen Waarts, who appeared on Show 207 in Stanford, California, recently won one of the two first place prizes in Division 1 of the International LOUIS SPOHR Competition for Young Violinists in Weimar, Germany! Stephen also received a special award for the best interpretation of a romantic concerto, in all divisions. […]

We’ve teamed up with Carnegie Hall to launch the Big Break – a YouTube contest for young musicians to win an appearance on a special broadcast of our radio show and a performance at Carnegie Hall! With a little over a week to go until the November 18th submission deadline, we’ve got some terrific entries […]

Very exciting news just in – over the weekend alums George Li (Show 144, age 15, piano) and Benjamin Beilman (age 20, violin) both won first prize at the Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions in New York! This is an incredible accomplishment and we are very proud of George and Benjamin. This year the YCA International Auditions […]