Category: z-News

We recently heard from alum Lauren Chipman, a violist who first performed on Show 041 in Austin, Texas at age 17 (and later on Show 046 in Boston, Massachusetts and was a 10th anniversary alumni performer on Show 204 in Granville, Ohio). It turns out that things are going very well for her in Los […]

What do musicians and athletes have in common? A better ability in processing spatial information, according to a study at the University of Regensburg Institute of Sport Science in Germany. Miller-McCune reports that the study took 120 participants: 40 musicians, 40 athletes, and 40 “education” students who didn’t play an instrument or sport. The participants […]

15-year-old cellist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Matthew Liversedge has always believed that music can be enjoyed by anyone, and wanted to share that view with other high school students in his community. So on the morning of September 30th, Matt and his friend Stephen Wright (violin) visited the Oakdale Christian Academy, a boarding […]

With praise from the New York Times and the BBC Music Magazine, pianist and From the Top alum Natasha Paremski has been making a name for herself! Her debut recital album, featuring works by Kahane, Prokofiev, and Brahms, was released November 8 and made the top 10 in the Billboard Classical Charts! Natasha performed on […]

We are thrilled to announce that From the Top will travel to Bogota, Colombia in May, 2012 to record a radio show! Our Co-CEO/Executive Producer Jerry Slavet and Tour Producer David Balsom just spent an amazing few days there, setting things in motion. Here’s a recap from David: The first question everyone asks is “why […]

13-year-old guitarist Thomas Pfefer believes that music is a gift meant to be shared with others. So when representatives from the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown, PA asked him to present to a group their students, Thomas said he’d love to. He performed a variety of guitar piece, then share more about how […]

It’s been a while since violinist Siwoo Kim was on Show 159 in Columbus, Ohio in 2007. Now, Siwoo tells us he’s a senior at The Juilliard School and it seems like he’s becoming a flourishing performer! As the winner of  Juilliard’s violin concerto competition, he will be performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 240 was taped in Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 2, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Llewellyn Sanchez‐Werner, 15, piano IV. Fuga: Allegro con spirito from Sonata in E‐flat, Op. 26 By: Samuel […]

18-year-old pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Yifan Wu wanted to find a way to reach out to the elderly in his hometown of Flushing, New York. He was introduced to the Korean American Senior Center, and reached out to their event coordinator in hopes of taking part in one of their weekly programs […]

Each year gifted string musicians under the age of 20 compete in the Stulberg International String Competition for a chance to win performance opportunities and cash prizes. The 2011 Gold Medal winner was From the Top alum Austin Huntington (Show 239 in Ocean City, NJ), and he received $5,000 and an orchestral performance! The 2012 […]

17-year-old flutist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Ryan Norville wanted the youth from his hometown of Fort Myers, Florida to see and experience the power of music. He chose to visit with students from his old elementary school, Tanglewood Elementary School, where he gave two back-to-back presentations for 4th and 5th grade students. He […]

If you’re in New York, come see the String Orchestra of Brooklyn’s concert tomorrow, Saturday, November 19 at 8pm at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights! The performance presents works by Rosenmüller, Shostakovich, Pärt, and Stravinsky, with a special performance by professional pianist Conor Hanick. The orchestra was actually featured on […]

Last month we posted information about alum George Li’s Boston debut recital at Jordan Hall on October 29–one of the recitals awarded him as the first place winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions. But we’ve only just caught wind of the wonderful reviews that Li’s tour through Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. […]

From the Top’s broadcast for Show 239 was taped in on the Music Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Amy Semes, 16, Violin I. Allegro Moderato from Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op […]

Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki, who appeared on Show 181 in Portland, Oregon, will perform in Carnegie Hall on Thursday, November 18 at 8pm for a recital benefiting the Glenn Gould Foundation. The concert, honoring Gould’s legacy, will feature Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Ravel. Marika has done a lot of work with the Glenn Gould Foundation, […]

“The first day I walked into the beginning of an orchestra rehearsal at the Conservatory Lab, I saw Ezekiel, a 5th grader, sitting in a seat in the first violin section. As I walked into the room, he looked up at me and started playing through his part to “Dragonhunter.” As I walked farther back […]

It’s that time of year again – The Blount Slawson Young Artists Competition is accepting applications! Musicians in grades 7-12 can enter to win prizes including $10,000 cash, a performance with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and an appearance on From the Top! String, wind, brass, percussion, and piano students are eligible to apply. Applications must […]

We’re excited to hear from our friends at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) that three From the Top alums were chosen for APAP’s Young Performers Career Advancement Program (YPCA) this year! Cellist Sebastian Bäverstam (Show 011 in Cambridge, MA, Show 115 in Southborough, MA, and Show 144 in Boston, MA), pianist Michael Brown (Show […]

From the Top alum Annika Jenkins, a 17-year-old violinist who studies at the Juilliard Pre-College Division, will perform Tchaikovsky masterpieces this month in the Virginia Beach building that made her a local hero. At 10 years old, Annika convinced the Virginia Beach city council that despite budget restrictions, they should build a new performing arts […]

From the Top’s Show 238 was taped in the Aire Crown Theater at the McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois on  Saturday, July 2, 2011. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show: Stephanie Block, 17, viola  I. Andante comodo from Concerto for Viola and Orchestra By: William Walton  Walton’s viola concerto holds […]