Blog/News

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 […]

Paul Katz is known to concertgoers the world over as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, which, during an international career of 26 years, made more than 2,500 appearances on four continents. In 2011, declaring that “our art is passed from one generation to the next, not by books but by mentoring,” Katz launched CelloBello, a website […]

Renowned cellist Paul Katz guest hosts this week’s episode of From the Top (listen on your participating station and/or by podcast). Recorded on July 31 at New England Conservatory (NEC)’s Jordan Hall in Boston, this episode of From the Top features young artists from around the world who studied at the Morningside Music Bridge program in […]

This week From the Top goes behind-the-scenes at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival (check your local listings or download our podcast here). Hosted by pianist Peter Dugan, this documentary style episode of From the Top features six of the 23 young pianists (age 13 to 17) chosen to participle in two weeks of high-level competition […]

From the Top Receives Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts From the Top has received two Art Works grants for $20,000 and $40,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support From the Top’s nationally-distributed NPR radio program and associated outreach activities. National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne […]

This week’s episode of NPR’s From the Top, taped at Dartmouth College with Guest Host Jeremy Denk, features two Jack Kent Cooke Young Artists: flutist Subin Cho and cellist Nygel Witherspoon. The award helps young musicians with the high costs of studying classical music. Recipients must demonstrate exceptional musical ability, quality of character, and financial […]

One of America’s foremost pianists, Jeremy Denk, guest hosts this week’s episode of From the Top (check your local listings or download our podcast here). Winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and the Avery Fisher Prize, Denk was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. We were honored to have him join From the Top. […]

When we travel to hold auditions, we are as excited to meet new young musicians as we are to catch up with our fast-growing network of alumni in that area. This past July, Executive Director Gretchen Nielsen, Director of Development & External Relations Emily Borababy, and Scholarship and Recruitment Manager Javier Caballero held auditions at […]

As a recipient of the Deitch Leadership Institute Fellowship for students at the Boston Latin School, Christine has been working with Austin Boyer in our marketing department for the past seven weeks. Out of the seventeen Boston organizations she could’ve chosen, From the Top was her top choice — and we’re so glad she got […]

Live recording events of popular NPR classical music show will feature special lineup of hosts and co-hosts Boston, Massachusetts (July 30, 2019) – From the Top, America’s largest platform celebrating the voices and talents of America’s brightest young classical musicians, announced the 2019-2020 tour dates and hosts for its nationally-distributed NPR radio program today. From […]

On a rainy day in March, six young artists (see bottom) gathered in Boston’s historic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was the day before their performance on NPR’s From the Top and, since they had all met each other the previous evening at an ISGM Third Thursdays event, the reunion was brief but full of […]

This past June, 20-year-old cellist Zlatomir Fung won the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition’s top prize in the cello division, adding to his already impressive list of accolades that include first prize wins at the 2018 Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition and 2016 George Enescu International Cello Competition. As the first place winner of […]

This week, From the Top airs Show 367 with guest host Peter Dugan featuring the talents of 6 inspiring young musicians from across the country. Their stories are compelling, from 17-year-old Zachary Potts’ inspiring story about leaving the U.S. for the first time to see his horn teacher perform with the Berlin Philharmonic, to Los […]

From the Top is thrilled to announce the two recipients of the 2019 From the Top Alumni Leadership Grant, 19-year-old pianist Amir Siraj and 20-year-old pianist Eunice Lee! The Alumni Leadership Grant, generously funded by the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation, seeks to support alumni of From the Top’s media and arts leadership programs […]

It’s never too early to start thinking about summer, right? From the Top has just posted a summer 2019 internship position for our Boston office! We’re looking for a Marketing & Production Assistant. This internship is paid. As Marketing & Production Assistant you’ll be responsible for creating blog and social media posts, creating copy for […]

My name is Benjamin Lee. I’m 16 years old and I play the erhu. People call the erhu the Chinese violin. However, it should be the other way around because the erhu is about a thousand years older than the violin. Maybe the violin should be called the Western erhu! So what is the erhu, […]

  Charles Yang, a maverick violinist whose musical taste ranges from Bach to the Beatles, first appeared on From the Top in 2002 at the age of 14, delivering a show-stopping performance of Zigeunerweisen and professing his love for the violin, “the violin is like caffeine” he said, “…you get addicted to it…if I put […]

NPR’S FROM THE TOP TO CONVENE IN LOS ANGELES FOR THREE-DAY RESIDENCY  Pianist Peter Dugan Guest Hosts Studio Recordings  Producer, Singer and DJ Alex Seaver (MAKO) leads music-making sessions  Leadership and Community Engagement workshops offer firsthand experience in creative career development FEBRUARY 23-25, 2019 From the Top (FTT), the nationwide program distributed by NPR that […]