Category: Behind the Scenes

13-year-old Harpist Olivia Lee is one of the outstanding young artists featured on this week’s From the Top episode from Boston, Massachusetts. All of the performers on this show participated in a four-day residency where they used their artistry to connect with the community. Here, Olivia reflects on that powerful experience: A few years ago […]

Reflections on this week’s podcast from Announcer Joanne Robinson: Over my nearly twenty years as From the Top’s announcer, I’ve had the good fortune to continually have the best seat in the house. From my perch onstage, just to left of the performance area next to our towering “On the Air” sign, I’ve gotten to […]

From the Top Announces Peter Dugan as Permanent Host of its NPR Program  Vijay Gupta, Alex Laing, Tessa Lark, Orli Shaham and Charles Yang Comprise From the Top’s Newly Formed Team of Co-hosts & Creatives Boston, Massachusetts (January 23, 2020) – From the Top, America’s largest platform celebrating the voices and talents of America’s brightest […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

With 2018 solidly behind us, we finally had the chance to look back, take stock, and pull out some of our favorite moments from last year. From fantastically fun videos to empowering young musicians to make an impact in their community, 2018 was a year to remember. 1: Two of our music videos were included in WQXR’s […]

Guitarist Nicholas Padmanabhan performed on NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley in March 2018. You can listen to his performance, airing on stations nationwide the week of May 28, 2018, here. Like all FTT performers, Nicholas went through our Arts Leadership Orientation, where he and his peers explored leadership concepts and planned for a community engagement […]

We asked the host of NPR’s From the Top, Christopher O’Riley, to give us some background about his This Land/Our Land music video project, which brings together six From the Top alumni, all with immigrant backgrounds, to perform a new musical composition/arrangement of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” O’Riley and the musicians gathered […]

This interview is part of This Land/Our Land, a music video project bringing together six young musicians from immigrant backgrounds to perform a new arrangement of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The arrangement is by From the Top host Christopher O’Riley. Watch the video here. Want more stories like this? Scroll down to […]

This interview is part of This Land/Our Land, a music video project bringing together six young musicians from immigrant backgrounds to perform a new arrangement of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The arrangement is by From the Top host Christopher O’Riley. Watch the video here. Want more stories like this? Scroll down to […]

This interview is part of This Land/Our Land, a music video project bringing together six young musicians from immigrant backgrounds to perform a new arrangement of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The arrangement is by From the Top host Christopher O’Riley. Watch the video here. Want more stories like this? Scroll down to […]

This interview is part of This Land/Our Land, a music video project bringing together six young musicians from immigrant backgrounds to perform a new arrangement of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The arrangement is by From the Top host Christopher O’Riley. Watch the video here. Want more stories like this? Scroll down to […]

We believe in the power of music in the hands of young musicians. Do you? Join From the Top alumni, fans, and family in trumpeting (pun intended) the awesomeness that young musicians bring to the world by adding your note to our #Note4Note online giving campaign. Here’s how it works: 1. You give a dollar, […]