Tag: radio

We are excited to partner with Carnegie Hall to announce the Big Break – a new online contest that offers young musicians the chance to compete for a spot on NPR’s From the Top  radio broadcast, hosted by Christopher O’Riley, as well as an opportunity to grace the stage at Carnegie Hall, performing in a […]

Last week the From the Top crew and nine performers gathered together in Davenport, Iowa to tape a radio show. The following morning was the Arts Leadership Orientation, during which performers reflect on using music for positive change. Upon naming themselves “The Rave,” the performers designed a video for From the Top’s Green Room which […]

    Hi everybody! I’m writing to you from backstage at the Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Iowa where we are about to go onstage for the show. We taped a show last night in Davenport, and then went on the road to bring the same show to Parkersburg, a small town in central Iowa that […]

So often on this blog we highlight the accomplishments of our young musicians, but today we’re turning the spotlight on our very own host, Christopher O’Riley. As an acclaimed pianist, Christopher doesn’t just host From the Top. He does concerts around the country and is a Distinguished Visiting Artist at Louisiana State University in Baton […]

14-year-old pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist, Hyung-Do Kim recently performed on our show in Gettysburg, PA. During the Arts Leadership orientation held the following morning, we learned that he and his sister, a violinist, have been performing regularly for the residents of Waterford Towers, a retirement center located in Edgewater, New Jersey, for […]

This week’s show was taped at the Gettysburg Festival in Gettysburg, PA on Friday June 18, 2010. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show and to reflect on their From The Top experience after the show was completed: Sodienye (Sodie) Finebone, 18, tuba III. Allegro giocoso from […]

We are pleased to announce the release of From the Top’s new iPhone app! Powered by Instant Encore, the mobile tool gives fans up-to-the minute access to From the Top’s podcasts, videos, radio show clips, news updates, concert listings and more. The application is available through the iTunes store and requires users to create an […]

Although From the Top doesn’t tape many radio shows during the summer, our staff keep busy during these hot months with an important and exciting task – holding live auditions for our NPR radio show. Live auditions are an opportunity for us to hear young musicians in a different and fun capacity; most of our auditions come […]

I can’t believe we’re already kicking off our 11th season of radio shows, and what better way than a fantabulous piano extravaganza! We taped the first show of the season earlier this week at the Young Artist World Piano Festival on the beautiful campus of Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was an exciting […]

We are pleased to announce our 2010-2011 national tour dates for taping our popular NPR radio program hosted by acclaimed concert pianist Christopher O’Riley. The tour will include concert events at From the Top’s home base at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall and cities from Athens, GA to Yountville, CA and will mark From the […]

Hi everyone! We were in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania last week, taping a show at the Majestic Theater, a beautifully restored 1920’s vaudeville house. We kicked off the Gettysburg Festival, an annual celebration of art and culture. As you might imagine with a production such as ours, sometimes the unexpected happens, and this show marked one […]

If you’ve listened to this week’s show, you probably heard Christopher O’Riley talking to oboist Bryanne Presley about the pranks she likes to pull on her dad, Wade, who is also her school band director.  Well we’ve got a treat for you – great pictures of past pranks and video of Dad getting back at […]

Here in the From the Top office, we’re still on a high from the incredible taping Tuesday night at Symphony Hall, where we teamed up with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops! What an exciting show this was. From start to finish, it featured one phenomenal performance after another. Four of the young musicians who […]

You may remember 11-year-old Natalie Dungey on Show #202 in Salt Lake City, where she blew the audience away with incredibly polished sounds from a difficult brass instrument – the trumpet!  If you missed the show, you can listen here and watch a video of her rehearsal the night before here. We just got an […]

Hi everyone! We just got back from Iowa, where we taped a show at Iowa State University in Ames. One of the school’s most celebrated graduates was in our audience – the great American baritone Simon Estes! He introduced the first performer, 18-year-old violist Caroline Weeks, who played a beautiful piece by Rebecca Clarke. Next […]

In March, From the Top joined forces with Portland Ovations to tape a radio show at Merrill Auditorium (broadcasting this week), but that was just one part of our fabulous experience in Portland, Maine… Sharing the power and excitement of the arts with a broader community, especially students who might not otherwise have access, is […]

Last week, From the Top alums Nathan Chan, 16 (Radio show #207) and Simone Porter, 13, (radio show #165 and From the Top at Carnegie Hall‘s Episode 206) performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of 17-year-old conductor Alexander Prior.  The concert was held at the Barbican in London and raised money for […]

Multiple From the Top alumni received awards at the Fifth Annual Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition at the University of California, Davis. The California-based Soleil Trio, comprised of violinist Kenneth Renshaw, 16, cellist Will Chow, 16, and pianist Reiko Tsuchida, 15, won the Chamber Ensemble Award in the Senior Division. The trio performs on an […]

Congratulations to 17-year-old pianist Jingxuan Zhang, who held a solo benefit recital on March 27th to raise money for the Performing Arts Department at his high school in Indiana, which has been hit by recent budget cuts. Around 450 people attended the 50-minute concert, which raised $2,330. Jingxuan, a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist, is […]

Violinist Dayna Anderson, who will graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music in May, recently became the concertmaster of the Delaware Symphony. At 22, she is the youngest person to hold the position in the orchestra’s 104-year history. Dayna appeared on From the Top in 2000 at the age of 12. Congrats Dayna! Three From […]