Category: Alumni

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 […]

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 […]

24-year-old violinist Karen Cueva appeared on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley Show 187, recorded in October 2008, at age 17. In conjunction with her performance on the show, she also received From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Karen considers herself to be both a violinist and an educator who is passionate about issues of […]

Noah and Sydney Lee hail from Oakland, New Jersey, and are a brother and sister duo with some serious cello skills. They’ve both been on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley (Noah on Shows 310 and 241), and Sydney on Show 249), but it’s safe to say you’ve never seen or heard them quite like this: The filmmaker, Dillon […]

There are no manuals for how to become a great cellist. It can’t be learned on YouTube. It requires hard work and immense dedication, and it also requires a teacher, one human, who will pour his/her soul into giving musicians the tools to find their own expressions of their own souls. What a thing that is! It’s the ultimate example […]

Violist Kallie Ciechomski first appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley in 2006. She sent us this update: enjoy! My first appearance on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley was on Show 136 in 2006, as a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. The $10,000 scholarship and the opportunity to perform […]

Sure, there’s lots of practicing, and pacing, and getting ready for a big performance. But there’s also a lot of laughs.

Angelica Hairston knows how to make a harp sing. You may have first heard her work her magic when she performed on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley Show 228 in Athens, Georgia, at age 17. “It was such a blast to be a part of something that was simultaneously youthful and innovative, and […]

If you’ve been on From the Top and you have something to say – and a pencil – then we’re looking for you! We’ve got a cool opportunity to blog on the Huffington Post, and naturally, we think you, our young musicians, have great stories to tell. So, we have a challenge for you. Send us a […]