Blog/News

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 […]

This week, From the Top traveled to Baton Rouge to tape a radio show at Louisiana State University’s College of Music and Dramatic Arts. Our ten young artists brought a variety of genres and personalities to Tuesday’s show, and gave an unforgettable performance! Six of the ten joined us the following morning for the Arts […]

We just got home from taping a show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Shaver Theatre at LSU. It was our first time in Louisiana and it was a fantastic experience! The show was full of standout moments. It opened with a dazzling performance by 15-year-old cellist Jean Kim, a wonderfully expressive musician, who played […]

The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra has announced the next Blount-Slawon Young Artists Competition on January 29-30, 2011 at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Applications must be post marked by December 10th! The competition is open to 7th-12th graders who go to school in the US. String, wind, brass, percussion, and piano are all eligible for entry.  The […]

On this week’s show, 17-year-old saxophone player Justin Moser relived his experience auditioning for American Idol with our host Christopher O’Riley. Nerves may have gotten the best of him at his audition, but he certainly nailed his From the Top performance and this singing demo! Check it out.

From the Top alum and harpist Sage Po will appear in an upcoming PBS documentary called “My Musical Life.” This film is about the lives of Sage and four of her fellow young musicians who are part of the Music in the Mountains (MIM) Young Composers Program in Nevada County, California. The MIM Young Composers […]

We believe that Music is Powerful Stuff and that young people can make an important contribution to the world by sharing who they are and what they love to do. This year we’ve launched a Campaign for Arts Leadership – a national call for compelling stories that will inspire musicians, young and old, across the […]

This week’s show (Show 220) was taped at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa on Tuesday October 12, 2010. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Justin Moser, 17, alto saxophone Rondo  from Lamento et Rondo By: Pierre Sancan My favorite part of this piece is the […]