Blog/News

24-year-old clarinetist Matthew Dykeman appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 199, recorded in June 2009. On the show, he received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what Matthew has been up to since then, along with some of his thoughts on how the award has impacted his […]

Arts Leadership in Action Join us this week as members of our Center for the Development of Arts Leaders (CDAL) work with students at the Conservatory Lab Charter School (CLCS)  in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The CLCS students had to learn an entirely new piece of music, put it together as a group, and perform it at […]

Hello readers! It’s only been two weeks since I started the Klarman fellowship but I feel like I’ve done so much already! Last week I went on a trip to Michigan where the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp is in session, where I actually spent my summers as a tiny fourth grader skipping around campus singing […]

24-year-old soprano Natanya Washer appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 199, recorded in June of 2009. On the show, she received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what she has been up to since then, along with some of her thoughts on how the award has impacted […]

Nicholas Padmanabhan, a student at the Palo Alto High School, has played classical guitar for nine years and frequently performs in both formal concert venues and community outreach programs. You may have first heard him when he performed with the San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Quartet on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 301 […]

15-year-old violinist Maya Buchanan first appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 276, recorded in September of 2013, at the age of 13. Since then, she has gone on to win and place in prestigious competitions and is returning to our show on August 14th! Maya’s Recent Accomplishments In July of 2016, Maya was awarded […]

Hi everyone! My name is Haruno Sato, and I am so excited to be working from behind the scenes at From the Top as the Klarman fellow this summer! For the past year, I have been working here as the resident “listener,” or more formally called the Primary Screener (I will elaborate on that a little […]

We invite you to experience the exquisite sounds of 16-year-old pianist Leyla Kabuli in this stunning and moving new video by filmmaker Nathan D. Lee. Leyla plays selections from a piece called “Black Earth,” written by Turkish composer Fazil Say. There’s a lot more we could say about this video, including information about the composer, Leyla […]

25-year-old clarinetist Christopher Pell appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 196, recorded in May 2009. On the show, he received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what he has been up to since then, along with some of his thoughts on how the award has impacted his […]

24-year-old cellist Khari Joyner appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 199, recorded in June 2009. On the show, he received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what Khari has been up to since then, along with some of his thoughts on how the award has impacted his […]

Happy Independence Day! For this July 4th, we took the Sempre Sisters out into Boston to perform a virtuosic take on the classic patriotic tune, Yankee Doodle. We love this video because the joy and passion these two From the Top alums put into their performance are wonderfully contagious. Fair warning though: the tune is […]

24-year-old flutist Chaz Salazar appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley most recently on Show 208, recorded in January 2010. Previously he appeared on Show 191, recorded in November 2008. In conjunction with his first performance on the show in 2008, he received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what he […]

23-year-old trumpeter Ansel Norris appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 191, recorded in November 2008. On the show, he received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what he has been up to since then, along with some of his thoughts on how the award has impacted his […]

22-year-old harpist Sage Po appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley on Show 199, recorded in June 2009. On the show, she received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Here is what she has been up to since then, along with some of her thoughts on how the award has impacted her […]

Did you know that there are other ways for young musicians to be part of From the Top beyond being on our radio show? Here in our hometown of Boston, we offer a unique leadership program called the Center for the Development of Arts Leaders (CDAL). More than 50 young musicians joined this past year (meet […]

If there’s one thing that all From the Top musicians and fans can appreciate, it’s the many… ahem…productive hours spent in practice rooms. How many of these have you experienced? Pianist 11-year-old Michael Karshis (you might remember Michael as a certain Star Wars villain in another recent video) Director Tim Banker Producer Mark Williams Director […]

On May 10, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu announced approval of more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. From the Top is proud to be an Art Works award recipient. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and […]

From the Top alum and staffer Matthew Dykeman is on the ground in Miami for a week-long residency with local schools. He’s sent back these reports (here and here). On his last day there, he wrote this final post…enjoy! Folks, let me give you some statistics: 250 students, age 5-18 5 schools 44 mammoth pizzas 1 […]

From the Top alum and staff member Matthew Dykeman is on the ground in Miami at a week-long residency. He’s blogging about his experience – you can read his first post here. This is quickly turning into one of the most awesome experiences I’ve had in my life. As the appointed “Pizza Czar” (I tried […]

By Matthew Dykeman, From the Top alum and staff member Greetings from sunny Miami – the weather is…ahh, delightful. Beyond the weather, the energy down here is incredible. As part of From the Top’s Miami Arts Leadership Residency, myself and three other Arts Leaders have been talking to area schools about the power of music under […]