Category: z-News

Welcome to the fifth installment of The Parents’ Perspective – a mini blog series for parents by parents, to lend advice and share stories about raising musical children. For this post we’ve taken a slight detour in format. Blogger Katheryn Rivas approached us with an idea that we adapted for The Parents’ Perspective. Katheryn wrote […]

This week’s V-POW post from Music Producer Tom Vignieri will be slightly different. You’re likely to be blown away, but not for the reasons you’d expect. From the Top alumnus Michael Thurber is one of the most enterprising guys we know. Whether he’s emerging from a practice room with his double bass at Juilliard, recording […]

This past weekend, From the Top traveled to beautiful Athens to tape a radio show at the University of Georgia’s Performing Arts Center. Our four stellar young artists were joined by special guest flutist Sir James Galway, making for an unforgettable performance! The next morning, three of the four young performers joined us for the […]

From the Top Alum and past Roving Reporter and violinist Caeli Smith just sent us another great update. These days Caeli is studying at Juilliard and is a founding member of Rayos de Canción (Rays of Music), a group of students committed to raising awareness about the power of music to facilitate healing, especially in […]

We recently received an email from Kurt Anderson, a cellist who appeared on Show 009 in November, 1999. Kurt told us that he just had re-met From the Top host Christopher O’Riley at a concert in Huntsville, Alabama – Kurt’s hometown! On November 22, 1999, Kurt performed Allegro Appassionato by Camille Saint-Saëns on From the […]

As you might imagine, the music production team at From the Top is constantly reviewing recordings and music videos submitted by outstanding young musicians from across the country. We’re frequently blown away by the performances we see, and thought it might be fun to share some of these videos with you! These V-POW posts will […]

Mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey, who recently appeared on Show #226 in Boston, MA, was a participant in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts in Miami and was selected to receive their YoungArts Silver Award! Back in January, Samantha participated in YoungArts Week in Miami. She was one of 150 artists selected from 5,000 applicants […]

This week’s From the Top’s broadcast was taped at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston, MA on Saturday January 29, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Samuel Katz, 17, violin Spring Breeze By: Edward Kalendar Perhaps the highlight of this piece for me was […]

The Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition is a prestigious annual competition open to students of strings, winds, brass, percussion, and piano, who are in seventh through twelfth grades. This year it took place January 29-30, and at the invitation of Helen Steineker, Executive Director of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, From the Top Music Producer Tom Vignieri […]

Great news – as of last week, American Public Media’s “Performance Today” will air selected From the Top segments once a week! Up this week: The Emerald Quartet from Show #218 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Please note that “Performance Today” will air From the Top performances at their discretion, so days and times of our pieces […]

From the Top taped a radio show this week in Opelika, AL at The Opelika Center for the Performing Arts. With a wide array of talent and a house filled near-capacity, the taping was a huge success! Our five performers joined us bright and early the morning after the show for our Arts Leadership Orientation, […]

We just heard that From The Top alum Arianna Körting (Show 175 in Boston, MA) snagged First Prize in the first ever David D. Dubois International Piano Competition! 16-year-old Arianna is currently a student of Gerardo Teissonnière in the Preparatory Division of the Cleveland Institute of Music. The Dubois International Piano Competition was held at […]

From the Top’s Show 225 was taped in the Lincoln Theater Napa Valley in Yountville, CA on Sunday January 23, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Mondo Trio I. Allegro con brio from Piano Trio No.4 in B-flat major, Op.11 By: Ludwig van Beethoven Matthew […]

We are pleased to announce three very special guest artists who will appear on upcoming radio shows! Renowned flutist Sir James Galway will appear on From the Top in Athens, Georgia on Sunday, Feburary 27. He will perform the second movement from Sonata, Op. 23 by Lowell Liebermann, accompanied by host Christopher O’Riley on the […]

This past weekend, From the Top taped a radio show right here in our hometown of Boston, MA at Jordan Hall. With a wide array talent, from guest artist Eran Egozy (clarinetist with Radius Ensemble and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc) to a wind sextet made entirely of Walnut Hill students, all of our […]

The day after we taped Show #225 in Yountville, California, the From the Top Education Team visited the beautiful Blue Oak School with performer and clarinetist Perry Choi. The team spent time with 35 third to fifth graders who take music from teacher Kim Markovich. Despite being only 18 years old, Perry runs a non-profit […]

15-year-old organist Karen Christianson has been busy since appearing on Show 223 in Abilene, Texas! This Saturday, February 5, Karen is featured on WWFM’s “Cadenza” with David Osenberg at 3pm. Karen’s From the Top show will also be rebroadcast on Saturday at 12pm, so if you’re in Eastern Pennsylvania or New Jersey, definitely tune in! […]

This past weekend From the Top visited sunny Napa to tape a radio show at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville, CA! Our performers joined us the morning after the show for the Arts Leadership Orientation to explore how music can make a difference beyond the concert hall. All seven from the West Coast, the group […]

NPR’s classical music blog “Deceptive Cadence” recently published an interesting article by From the Top host Christopher O’Riley about the changing landscape of classical music. Here’s a quick excerpt: In its present state, classical music in the American cultural landscape seems to be ever more marginalized. I propose that getting more people to listen is […]

This just in – From the Top alum and soprano Megan Bell (Show 62, January 2002) recently sang with the touring educational outreach company “Opera for the Young.” Below she shares her arts leadership experience: Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Opera for the Young (OFY) is dedicated solely to performance outreach, which is part of what […]