Category: Links We Like

Hoedown from Rodeo from Eleanor Stewart on Vimeo. Ride ’em, cowgirl: Eleanor Stewart created this stop-motion animation, set to Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” from the Rodeo Suite, for her final year degree at the Glasgow School of Art. As Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel pointed out, that’s one way to make the score come alive! […]

Pianos: they’re not just for inside anymore. Luke Jerram, an English artist, put 30 pianos in public places around London for the summer as part of his artwork called “Play Me, I’m Yours.” The idea is to bring people together in public places, like a train station, when they wouldn’t normally talk to one another. […]

What could be one of the world’s first musical instruments was discovered in Germany recently, according to the Boston Globe. A flute, carved from bone and ivory, is estimated at approximately 35,000 years old. The Globe reports: “The find suggests just how integral artistic expression may be to human existence: Music apparently flourished even in […]

When you’re a student, it’s hard to see classical music. You have to find a concert that fits your schedule, sometimes on short notice, persuade someone to come with you, (if you don’t have a lot of friends who love classical music), and, hardest of all, keep the whole night inside your budget. Good news: […]

Great five-minute procrastination break: Steve Hicken’s “twitterpieces,” musical compositions so short Hicken can “tweet” them, complete with all performance instructions. The inspiration for “twitterpieces” came from a fellow blogger. And good news – Hicken takes commissions! Here are a few of my favorites: No word yet on whether any of Hicken’s “twitterpieces” have been performed. …

Good and Good for You: It’s Beethoven’s 5th Symphony – in Japanese?! Watch the English-subtitled version above, or the one with slightly better video quality (and no subtitles) here. From The Collaborative Piano Blog. Keep reading for more excerpts we like this week.

Our host Christopher O’Riley has recently offered a series of recitals with longtime collaborator New York Philharmonic cellist Carter Brey. After taping From the Top shows in Cedar Rapids, IA and Omaha, NE last week, Chris flew to New Lebanon, New York to open the Tannery Pond concert season on Sunday afternoon. Vivien Schweitzer reviewed […]

ArtsJournal.com blogger Lee Rosenbaum has posted First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at yesterday’s ribbon cutting for the new American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts in New York. Among her remarks in support of providing access to the arts for all Americans, Mrs. Obama said: The President and I want to ensure that […]

Two years ago, From the Top visited Chandler Music Hall in Randolph, Vermont to tape a national radio broadcast. We had a wonderful experience exploring the town and even lightheartedly poking fun of the locals by staging a Vermont fashion show with Vermont perfomer Thea Talento. It looks like our visit made an impression with […]

Earlier this week, Dr. Jose Abreu, the founder of Venezuela’s national youth orchestra program known as “El Sistema”, was announced as a recipient of Sweden’s Polar Music Prize. If you haven’t heard about the amazing work that Dr. Abreu has done in fostering a thriving network of youth orchestras throughout Venezuela, we’ll try to briefly […]

Like many, we were moved by the story in the New York Times last week about Newark, Ohio senior Tiffany Clay. We’ve heard that the Newark and surrounding communities have come together to raise funds to help Tiffany continue her music and academic studies and to support the efforts of the Newark High School Orchestra. […]

Caeli Smith reports on the upcoming YouTube Symphony event on April 12-15 at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Learn more about the project on Caeli’s vlog.

An interesting article from England about the state of music education appeared in The Guardian last week. How are schools in your part of the world promoting music education? What can we do better? At From the Top, we have been working in three Boston Public Schools for the past two years through a generous […]

Interested in taking action but don’t know where to start? Already have a project but need funding and exposure? Check out this great organization for ideas, funding opportunities and general inspiration and let us know what you do! www.dosomething.org

A silly question. But, yesterday, From the Top’s upcoming taping in Buffalo with the Buffalo Philharmonic was featured in the Buffalo News, and the writer Mary Kunz Goldman later blogged about her experience interviewing Christopher O’Riley and mentioned this very blog! It seems this cycle could go round and round! In other news, our venerable […]

The YouTube Symphony just announced its final orchestra roster – including several From the Top alumni.  We’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge all the participants who auditioned and voted in the YouTube Symphony. It’s very exciting to see such a strong showing of classical musicians and fans participating in this project. As one […]