From the Top Joins KERA to Fuel Its Next Era of National Impact

NPR remains From the Top’s national distributor, ensuring uninterrupted carriage nationwide as the organization establishes a new home base in North Texas

FTT & KERA: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DALLAS, TX – February 12, 2026 – From the Top, the nationally distributed NPR radio program and nonprofit dedicated to celebrating young classical musicians, and KERA, North Texas’s public media station, announced today that From the Top will join KERA’s portfolio of services in 2026. The move marks a strategic new chapter for From the Top as it builds the infrastructure and capacity needed to support its mission for generations to come.

The transition will take place between February and May 2026, with From the Top officially becoming a program of KERA on June 1. While From the Top’s organizational home base will shift to North Texas, its national mission, programming, and audience will remain unchanged.

Founded in Boston in 2000, From the Top has always been shaped by the young musicians at its center, growing and changing alongside their evolving needs. In recent years, as the worlds of performing arts, media, and education have shifted in profound ways, the organization’s leadership began asking the same questions it encourages young artists to ask: what comes next, and how do we prepare for it? Rather than focusing solely on sustaining existing operations, From the Top sought a partner with the scale, operational strength, and shared values to help the organization grow responsibly and remain resilient in a rapidly changing landscape.

Pianist Alexander Zhou performs on From the Top’s 2026 Tiny Desk concert. Credit Cameron Whitman

“This was a forward-looking decision grounded in responsibility,” said Gretchen Nielsen, Executive Director of From the Top. “From the Top has accomplished a tremendous amount with a small, highly effective team. But as the scope and complexity of our national work have grown, so has the need for a larger operational engine. By joining KERA, we’re ensuring that this work can evolve and expand – while staying true to our mission and the community of artists, families, and supporters who have sustained us from the beginning.”

KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization serving North Texas through television, radio, digital platforms, and local journalism, including KERA TV, KERA News 90.1, KXT 91.7, WRR 101.1, and the Denton Record-Chronicle. In recent years, KERA has grown and strengthened its mission-driven public services – expanding local journalism, stewarding a historic classical music station, and investing in education, arts, and culture – while supporting programs in ways that allow them to retain distinct identities.

“It’s an honor to welcome From the Top as a program of KERA,” said Nico Leone, President and CEO of KERA. “Our organizations share a belief in the power of public media to educate, inspire, and connect communities. We’re excited to support From the Top as it continues to serve young musicians nationwide while exploring new possibilities, both nationally and locally, through our combined resources.”

“KERA has demonstrated that it knows how to support strong programs without asking them to reinvent themselves,” said Kathleen van Bergen, Chair of From the Top’s Board of Directors. “They value From the Top’s audience and alumni community, and they are committed to protecting our identity and voice. KERA understands what it means to be a true partner, giving us room to lead while expanding our reach and impact. That alignment – culturally and operationally – is what makes this partnership so powerful.”

What stays the same

From the Top’s flagship radio program will continue to be distributed nationally by NPR, with no changes to public radio carriage. The program will continue to recruit and feature young musicians from across the country, maintaining its national scope and audience. Listeners nationwide will experience no disruption, and the show’s format, cadence, editorial voice, and commitment to artistic excellence will remain unchanged.

Editorial leadership will continue to reside with the From the Top team, which KERA looks to as the experts behind the program’s long-standing success.

Flutist Aarushi Kumar records with From the Top in Nashville. Credit: Sally Bebawny

What this partnership enables

With the operational support of a multi-platform public media organization, From the Top will be able to expand its content creation capacity while remaining focused on its core mission. Over time, new projects and initiatives are expected to emerge through collaboration with KERA’s many services, partners, and community resources, creating opportunities to deepen engagement, reach new audiences, and offer participants, listeners, and viewers even more ways to experience From the Top.

KERA’s acquisition of From the Top comes at an exciting time in the station’s history. In March, KERA is preparing to break ground on a new community-centric headquarters in Dallas that will include recording studios, performance spaces, and gathering rooms designed to support creative production and civic engagement. For From the Top, this infrastructure offers meaningful new possibilities for recordings, convenings, and collaborative projects that bring young musicians from across the country together while enriching the North Texas community.

From the Top’s broad reach allowed the organization to think expansively about where it could find the strongest foundation for its next phase. North Texas emerged as a launchpad – a region with a vibrant arts ecosystem and a public media partner committed to innovation, education, and long-term stewardship.

As part of the acquisition, From the Top’s leadership remains intact, with Nielsen continuing in her role as Executive Director. From the Top will gain representation on KERA’s Board, while its existing board transitions to an advisory role, ensuring continuity of vision and institutional knowledge.

“Our work has always been about looking forward,” Nielsen added. “This move allows us to apply that same future-facing thinking to ourselves, so that From the Top thrives as a vital national platform for young musicians well into the future.”

From the Top can be heard on public radio stations nationwide and locally in North Texas on WRR 101.1 FM. Additional details about the transition and future initiatives will be shared in the coming months.

For more information, visit fromthetop.org.

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About From the Top

From the Top is a creative learning lab for young classical musicians, ages 8–18, designed to fill gaps in traditional music education. Each year, roughly 100 young artists are selected as Fellows, gaining access to professional recording sessions, financial awards, and a network of industry professionals with a genuine desire to empower young musicians. Fellows learn about community engagement, media skills, and storytelling while leading projects on issues that matter to them – such as advocating for musicians with disabilities, exploring music’s role in climate change, and addressing the challenges of serious music study in rural areas. With a growing cohort of nearly 3,000 diverse alumni, From the Top helps the next generation of artists recognize their own potential as change-makers. Performances on the program’s nationally distributed radio show reach 350,000 weekly listeners across nearly 200 public radio stations, and millions more online. fromthetop.org

About KERA

KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization serving North Texas through KERA TV, KERA Create, KERA World, KERA Kids 24/7, KERA 90.1, KXT 91.7, WRR 101.1 and the Denton Record-Chronicle. For over 65 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a vibrant destination for community engagement and lifelong learning. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org.

Press Contacts

From the Top
Beth Stewart, Verismo Communications
beth@verismopr.com

KERA
Daniel Wohlberg, Director of Communications
dwohlberg@kera.org