Category: Alumni

It’s been a successful year for From the Top alumni – every time we open our email, there’s another piece of great news! This time the update came from young guitarist Thomas Pfefer who was featured on Show 224 in Bethlehem, PA. Thomas was recently awarded 1st Prize in the Junior Division of the Guitar Foundation […]

Chilean-born pianist and composer Patricio (From the Top at Carnegie Hall, Season 2, Episode 5) has just completed his first opera! Titled “La Sargento de La Concepción,” this work is comprised of three acts and was inspired by true events in Chile’s national history. Congratulations, Patricio! This past weekend Patricio wrote: Today on July 9th […]

Big news – From the Top alums George Li (Show 144) and Conrad Tao (Show 107 and Show 232) have just been named recipients of the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award! As Gilmore Young Artists, both George and Conrad will each receive $15,000 to further their musical career and education, as well as a $10,000 […]

Pianist/composer Neara Rusell recently released her third studio album, a self-produced pop/rock adventure titled “Noise and Silence.” Neara appeared on From the Top Show 132 in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 17, where she performed one of her own compositions with mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule – “Lemonade Pie” from “Food for the Gods…and me.” After […]

Last week pianist Lindsay Garritson sent us an update on her musical career. Currently a Master’s student at the Yale School of Music studying with renowned pianist Boris Berman, Lindsay is proud to have just won the school-wide concerto competition! As a result, she will perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Yale […]

Even if you’ve been following From the Top for a short time, you probably can tell how proud we are of our alumni. It’s always fun to hear from one of our young-performers-turned-professional, so we were excited to receive an update from clarinetist Samantha Angelo last week. Samantha appeared on Show 022 in Lake Buena […]

16-year-old pianist and composer Conrad Tao (From the Top Shows 107 and 232 and From the Top at Carnegie Hall Season 1) performed with the Pacific Symphony and Carl St.Clair on Thursday, June 3, 2011. The concert was originally supposed to feature Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, but she had to cancel due to illness. Rick Schultz […]

On May 21st cellist and From the Top alum Oliver Aldort (Show 126 in Boston) gave a recital in Miami Beach, Florida as part of the Miami International Piano Festival. Below is a video excerpt from Oliver’s performance, featuring the Chopin Sonata. This summer Oliver will attend the Tanglewood Summer Festival Program, and in the […]

Pianist Thomas Steigerwald, who performed on Show 185 in San Antonio, Texas, will be attending Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York this fall. Thomas will be studying with Douglas Humpherys and has received the highest level of scholarship that Eastman offers! As the winner of the 2011 Future Stars Competition, Thomas will be […]

We’ve got a treat for you! Last week’s Show 230, which was taped April 7 in Monterey, California as part of the e.g. Conference, was captured on video in its entirety.  This means each performance is on YouTube for you to watch! If you’re pressed for time, at least check out this clip of Jake […]

16-year-old cellist Taeguk Mun wanted to support the efforts of his church, Hyo Shin Bible Presbyterian Church of New York, NY, in their missions abroad. He organized a recital to benefit a charity program supporting children in Bangladesh, and managed to raise just under $1,000 for the cause! With the help of his church, his […]

Violist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Marcus Rose is a 17-year-old musician from Louisiana with a warm and easy-going personality. To hear him play (and attendees of our November show in Baton Rouge did), it would be easy to believe his musical accomplishments have come without challenges. In reality, without the help of three […]

12-year-old guitarist Roberto Granados and 16-year-old pianist Rieko Tsuchida are both performing at the California Symphony season finale this Sunday, May 1 at 4pm. Roberto will play “Concierto de Aranjuez” and Rieko will perform the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. The program also features Shostakovich Symphony No.5 in D minor. Robert has appeared on two […]

To help sustain awareness of the recent devastation in Japan and raise money for relief efforts, From the Top alum and violist Lauren Chipman and her band The Rentals have teamed up with the Red Cross Los Angeles Region and Ernest Jenning Record Co. to release ‘Resilience,’ an album featuring 18 orchestral compositions that will […]

Weeks ago we posted about how From the Top alum and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Umi Garrett was planning a benefit concert for Japan. The event was a great success and raised $3,400, all of which was donated to the Red Cross! Below are pictures from the concert and the repertoire list. Yoshie Akimoto, […]

We just got wind of a new opportunity from Carnegie Hall for young composers! The Carmina Burana Choral Project features 200 high school singers and 50 middle school singers from all over New York City with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by David Robertson. Carnegie is looking for three high school-aged composers to write […]

Flutist Emi Ferguson (Show 121 in New York City), has won a very prestigious scholarship from The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Paul and Daisy Soros are Hungarian immigrants and American philanthropists. They established their fellowship program for New Americans in 1997, to “give back” to the country that had afforded them […]

From the Top alum and oboist Yuga Cohler (Show 142, Granville) from Lexington, Massachusetts, is about to finish his senior year at Harvard University! Yuga has been serving as Music Director of the Harvard Bach Society, and has been accepted into the the Master of Music program in Conducting at Juilliard. He starts this fall, […]

18-year-old cellist John-Henry Crawford recently won First Prize in the Senior Division of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2011 Greenfield Competition. As a winner, he will solo next season in a concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra! John-Henry has appeared on From the Top twice, Show 206 in Dallas, TX in 2009 and Show 219 in Saint Paul, […]

16-year-old trumpet player and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Baldvin Oddsson appeared on Show #221 in Boston, Massachusetts last fall. Currently a junior at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, over the holidays Baldvin returned home to Reykjavik, Iceland, where he put on a small concert series as an Arts Leadership project.  He performed in […]