Category: Alumni

On January 3, 2010 From the Top taped a special program dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, MA. Here is what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show, which airs this week. Boston Children’s Chorus Kasar […]

The day after our taping at Stanford University’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium, From the Top had the opportunity to visit the Boys & Girls Club of East Palo Alto for a special family performance. 16-yr-old cellist Nathan Chan, 16-yr-old pianist Jade Huang and 13-yr-old violinist Stephen Waarts , all performers on the show, were joined by local […]

This week’s broadcast was taped November 13, 2009 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, TX. Learn more about what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show: Sahun Hong, 15, piano Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A minor by Franz Liszt Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 shows a […]

In case you missed it, last night From the Top alum Gabriel Cabezas performed with Yo Yo Ma on the Tavis Smiley Show. Check out their performance here.

Last night, among the Grammy nominations announced was a nod to From the Top alum, 17-year-old violinist Caroline Goulding for her self-titled debut album, recorded with our host Christopher O’Riley. The album is a collection of works by American composers, composers writing in this country and pieces inspired by uniquely American idioms, as well as […]

To all our alums, keep sending us your news, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Congratulations to violinist Caroline Goulding (TV#103, Radio #s 189, 164, 142) and pianist Charlie Albright (Show #66) on becoming First Prize Winners of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York this weekend. An upcoming performance by the Bucks County […]

In early November, From the Top provided two Atlanta middle schools with an interactive demonstration before taping a From the Top broadcast at Emory University’s Schwartz Center. We brought Hally Davidson, 15, flute, from McDonough, GA and Bryan Anderson, 16, piano, from Stockbridge, GA,  members of the flute and piano duo “Music Two Share”, to […]

This week’s episode of From the Top was taped on October 9, 2009 at the Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City with Utah Chamber Artists and KBYU-FM. Here’s what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show: Jossalyn Jensen, 17, viola Rhapsody by […]

This summer, three From the Top alumni Ren Martin-Doike, 18, violin/viola, Zoe Martin-Doike, 19, violin, and Nathan Vickery, 19, cello participated in a whirlwind two-week nine concert tour with the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music pre-college Virtuosi. Ren sent us a great write-up of her trip with this 9-member  chamber ensemble and their coaching […]

Young musicians can do amazing things! 17-year-old violist Deberly Kauffman, who was featured on From the Top’s radio taping in Wolfeboro, NH this past summer, created a free music lessons program in her hometown of Robbinsville, NJ. She has now been teaching and running this program with her father for five years! Deberly’s program offers […]

This weekend From the Top’s own Education Program Assistant and alum extraordinaire Audrey Wright (Show 138 and Show 160) is playing in a benefit concert in Cotuit, MA. Together with friends from New England Conservatory — Yundu Wang, piano and Linor Katz, cello — Audrey’s concert will support Children’s Cove, a non-profit Child Advocacy Center […]

Irineo Cabreros has been described as hard to peg. Featured on From the Top’s Mobile, AL taping last winter, the phenomenal 18-year-old musician says it best when he describes himself as “a dreadlocked, birkenstocked, teenage flutist who loves to play soccer and beat-box.” Currently enrolled in the Harvard University and New England Conservatory (NEC) dual […]

From the Top’s broadcast for this week was taped at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston on October 4, 2009. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Adria Ye, 11, piano (right) Restlessness, Op. 19, No. 5; The Spinning Song, Op. 67, No. 4 from Songs […]

In October, From the Top and Young Audiences New Jersey (YANJ) facilitated a three-hour workshop for New York area alumni to prepare for another exciting year of performances and demonstrations in the Newark public schools. Thanks to a generous grant from the Prudential Foundation, our six alumni volunteers Ibanda Ruhumbika, 19, tuba, Christopher Pell, 18, […]

This week’s broadcast was taped at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso, TX on June 13, 2009. Here is what the performers had to say about the music they played: Sage Po, 15, harp III. Sarabande and IV. Courante from Classical Suite for Harp Alone by Lynne Wainwright Palmer “This is a piece I like […]

If you are a From the Top alum with news to share, send us a message at enewsletter@fromthetop.org! Clifton Williams (Show #195), a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist from Washington, D.C. captured the hearts of millions of listeners with his moving story on our radio show last spring. Clifton’s appearance on From the Top also […]

17-year-old violinist Caeli Smith, From the Top alum and Roving Reporter,  has produced a very fun look behind the scenes at From the Top’s 200th radio show taping at the Heifetz International Music Institute in Wolfeboro, NH this past July.  Be sure to tune in to the broadcast on stations this week (and online at […]

Congratulations to violinist Mindy Chen, who appeared on From the Top’s Show 157 in 2007 as an 11-year-old, on winning the junior division of the 11th International Competition of Young Violinists in Honor of Karol Lipiński and Henryk Wieniawski in Lublin, Poland.  Mindy is now 13 but she competed against violinists up to the age […]

Last spring, listeners heard host Christopher O’Riley tell 15-year-old cellist Aaron Wolff from Newton, MA “I hate you!” He didn’t actually mean it. But he was confessing  that he was seriously jealous that Aaron Wolff would be appearing in the latest feature film from the Coen brothers. Aaron plays Danny Gopnik, the son of a […]

17-year-old cellist, Khari Joyner, from Atlanta, GA, is passionate about music’s power to heal. During his interview on From the Top’s live taping in El Paso, TX (airing the week of October 19), Khari spoke about his experience overcoming lymphoma cancer last year and how music and the power of positive thinking helped get him […]