Tag: newsfeed

Hi all! This weekend we taped Show 213 in Burlington, Vermont at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, a beautifully restored vaudeville house right in the center of town. I was so excited for the taping because one of my favorite performers was invited back as a 10th Anniversary guest – soprano Nadine Sierra, who was […]

Following our taping at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on January 27, we gathered all the performers for our arts leadership workshop and asked them to reflect on the power of music. Here are some of the stories they shared both from their own personal experiences and from history: “When Renee Fleming sang in […]

On Saturday night we taped an episode of the radio show at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston. It was bittersweet for us because we dedicated the show to one of the major forces behind From the Top, Francis Hunnewell, who passed away last week. He was a huge supporter of young musicians, and […]

On every broadcast, Christopher O’Riley performs a piece during the station break. Our live audiences are treated to the full performance, though on the broadcast only a portion of the performance is heard. Among the break pieces Chris is performing this season is the world premiere of “Falling Canons” by Grammy Award winner Kenneth Fuchs. […]

Greetings from somewhere high above the clouds on my flight back to Boston. This has been quite the tour! After spending over a week in Hawaii and then the past few days in California, I’m almost frightened to be going back to the wintry conditions at home. We taped a wonderful show last night at […]

Like many, 15-year-old Bay-area pianist Rieko Tsuchida was deeply saddened by the disaster in Haiti and inspired to take action. With just three days of planning, she and friend Jonah Hopton, turned their musical talents into a means of raising money for the American Red Cross. We are so proud of her efforts. In her […]

Aloha from one of the most magical places on earth – Hawaii’s Big Island, where we just completed two tapings of the radio show, plus a week of educational visits in local schools with our partner Hawaii Public Radio. The Big Island is such a fascinating place. I’ve been told there are eleven different climate […]

Alum Lauren Chipman, who recently returned for an episode of From the Top, will be performing in this Friday’s “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon. Lauren, a violist and member of indie rock band The Rentals, will be working with Christina Aguilera and John Legend during the two-hour performance show. “I’m really looking forward to playing […]

We were honored to receive citations today from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate in honor of From the Top’s tenth anniversary. From the Top alum Yuki Beppu, 12, of Lexington, Massachusetts played Bach and Paganini in the Grand Staircase filling the State House with beautiful music during the lunchtime hour. Yuki also received […]

Hi everyone! I just returned from a special taping of the radio program, recorded in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and held at the incredibly beautiful Bethel AME Church in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. There was some fear regarding whether we’d all make it to the show as it’s been snowing […]

The day after our taping at Stanford University’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium, From the Top had the opportunity to visit the Boys & Girls Club of East Palo Alto for a special family performance. 16-yr-old cellist Nathan Chan, 16-yr-old pianist Jade Huang and 13-yr-old violinist Stephen Waarts , all performers on the show, were joined by local […]

Yesterday, Christopher O’Riley and Tour Producer David Balsom spent the day in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana State University College of Music and Dramatic Arts to announce the launch of a new partnership. LSU has named Chris its first Distinguished Visiting Artist from 2010 to 2013 and has invited From the Top to record an […]

Hi all! I just returned home from Silicon Valley and the beautiful campus of Stanford University, where we taped a great show this weekend. We had the pleasure of being joined via phone by a very special guest –puzzle master extraordinaire Will Shortz! As a huge fan of the New York Times Sunday Crossword, I […]

This week’s episode of From the Top features violinist Melissa White, member of the Harlem Quartet. Quoted by the Lansing State Journal, Melissa says: “I’m living my dream because I’m playing my violin and getting paid for it,” she said. “I was so impressed with [the performers on the From the Top broadcast taped in […]

Last night, among the Grammy nominations announced was a nod to From the Top alum, 17-year-old violinist Caroline Goulding for her self-titled debut album, recorded with our host Christopher O’Riley. The album is a collection of works by American composers, composers writing in this country and pieces inspired by uniquely American idioms, as well as […]

In early November, From the Top spent a whirlwind week in Texas with radio tapings and school visits in Waco and Dallas. From the Top alumni and brother and sister team Robbie, 18, violin, and Allie Switala, 16, violin from Grapevine, TX, launched our Texas road shows with a visit to Lakeview Middle School in […]

On November 12, From the Top visited the G.W. Carver Academy in Waco, TX with performers Nathaniel Smith, 15, cello, Mia Orosco, 16, fiddle, and Simon Stipp, guitar. The 50 middle school students were engaged from the moment the musicians walked in to the classroom, pressing them with television theme song requests and questions about […]

In early November, From the Top provided two Atlanta middle schools with an interactive demonstration before taping a From the Top broadcast at Emory University’s Schwartz Center. We brought Hally Davidson, 15, flute, from McDonough, GA and Bryan Anderson, 16, piano, from Stockbridge, GA,  members of the flute and piano duo “Music Two Share”, to […]

Young musicians can do amazing things! 17-year-old violist Deberly Kauffman, who was featured on From the Top’s radio taping in Wolfeboro, NH this past summer, created a free music lessons program in her hometown of Robbinsville, NJ. She has now been teaching and running this program with her father for five years! Deberly’s program offers […]

Our monster two-week tour has finally come to an end, and from Atlanta to Granville to Waco to Dallas, it’s been a great one! On Friday night we taped at the exceptionally beautiful AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Two From the Top alums, percussionists Joshua Jones and John Ringor from Chicago, […]