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From the Top

NPR's From the Top showcases the music, stories, and unique humor of America's best young classical musicians.

An 18-year-old saxophonist plays a sentimental melody by Amy Beach, and we meet a passionate percussionist who has been dedicated to her craft since she was a toddler. We close the show with a flashback finale featuring an accomplished pianist back when she was 10!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sentimental Sax and Sparkling Marimba

A teen violist treats us to a sweeping Brahms sonata. We meet a tuba player who shares how it feels to perform on the stage at Carnegie Hall and an 18-year-old clarinetist recalls how his parents influenced his musical pursuits.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brahms Viola to Carnegie Hall

A guitarist-composer invents her own sound, a young pianist performs Liszt with power and finesse and an all-star cello quartet rocks Piazzolla.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Inventive Young Guitarist and Piazzolla for Four Cellos

We meet a trumpeter from a small town in Mexico with music in his blood. A tenor sings Mozart with beautiful color.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trumpeter’s Musical Legacy and a Tremendous Tenor

Don’t miss two award-winning performances from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including a teen trio from the Bay Area and a sax quartet from a San Antonio High School.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Award-Winning Trio and Sax Quartet

A standout 16-year-old accordionist from Eugene, Oregon brings style and sensitivity. We meet a 17-year-old guitarist and math whiz. A teen cellist performs Villa-Lobos’ Song of the Black Swan.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Accordion Virtuoso and More

We’re meeting some phenomenal musicians from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Mass. The school is celebrating 50 years as an arts high school and sharing its talented teens with Guest Host Orli Shaham and listeners. Enjoy performances of Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

50 Years of Walnut Hill

A young violinist explores the connection between powerlifting and music. A teen bassoonist plays a stirring piece, a trombonist shows off the range of his instrument and shares his passion for nutrition. A flutist performs on the new instrument purchased through her Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. And a young composer presents their exciting work for an eclectic grouping of instruments!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dvorák, Winds, & a Young Composer

We’re back at the 2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. You’ll hear more incredible performances, including some with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and meet semi-finalists and winners of the competition.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Meet the Winners: Behind the Scenes at the Cliburn, Part II

We're backstage at the 2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. Hear brilliant performances from the competitors and learn more about this outstanding group of young pianists gathered from around the world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Amazing Pianists: Behind the Scenes at the Cliburn, Part I

A teen guitarist from Colorado plays a beautiful work by Bach, a cellist plays an emotional Elegy by John Williams, and a pianist performs a piece that draws from the worlds of classical and jazz. We'll also hear from a teenage bassoonist who shares what it's like living with neurodivergence and meet a young clarinetist who left his home in Peru to pursue music in the U.S.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Bach, Bassoon & John Williams

We meet young musicians from all over the country, from South Carolina to California. A 17-year-old cellist fulfills a childhood dream to be on From the Top and kicks off the program with a gorgeous Beethoven piece. We also hear a beautiful Chopin Nocturne, a Barber Sonata played by a teen flutist, and a young mandolin player shows off her gorgeous new instrument (funded by her Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award) with a performance of Bach.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Chopin, Barber & Bach on Mandolin

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A teenage oboist honors a loved one's memory through performance and a 17-year-old harpist shares her musical journey.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Saint-Saëns and Harp

We learn about the challenges and rewards of playing French Horn from a talented 17-year-old who loves to make people laugh. We hear a Victor Herbert love song played by an outstanding 14-year-old cellist and a 13-year-old violinist tells us all about her amazing experiences in the Chicago Youth Symphony program.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Horn and Herbert

Orli Shaham guest hosts with her brother violinist Gil Shaham on this episode dedicated to musical families. We'll meet a bunch of siblings, including Orli's own sons. We'll enjoy performances of Dvořák, Schumann, and a new work by a young composer.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Family Fun

It's a family affair on this week's episode. Orli Shaham guest hosts with her brother violinist Gil Shaham. We meet a handful of siblings who share the joy of making musical memories together and hear performances of Tchaikovsky and Jessie Montgomery.⁠Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Musical Siblings

A teen cellist plays an electrifying arrangement of Monti's Czardas and speaks about organizing his own concert series to benefit a special Boston-area music program. We also meet a trio of close friends who met at summer camp and perform Clara Schumann.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Czardas for Cello and Teen Piano Trio

We're celebrating Ravel's 150th birthday with outstanding young musicians from the Boston area. We hear a septet of teens perform Ravel's Introduction and Allegro and a teen pianist treats us to one of Ravel's most iconic piano works. We also meet a talented young saxophonist who finds inspiration in Duke Ellington.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ravel's Birthday and Ellington

Do you turn to music to feel better? This week we wrap up our programming on the fascinating connections between the brain, wellness, and music.  A teen trombonist reflects on the ways in which music helps his mental health. A young violinist performs Schoenfield and talks about how she's trying to reframe the way auditions and competitions can make her feel. This podcast was recorded at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Music and Wellness

What piece of music sparks a memory for you? This week's podcast continues our journey into the fascinating world of music and the brain. A teen flute duo speaks about how they connect music with memories. A pianist returns to the show to perform Barber and chat about her research on dementia as a neuroscience student at USC. And finally, we hear from a talented 19-year-old baritone who sings Schubert. This podcast was recorded at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Music and Memory

We continue our journey into the fascinating world of music and the brain. We meet a gifted young pianist who is also an extraordinary scientist doing meaningful research on a rare neurological disorder. We also hear from a teen saxophonist who is exploring how micro-tonal music might impact people with depression. And we enjoy performances of Beethoven and Bozza.This podcast was recorded at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Teen Musician-Scientists

We're exploring the intersection of music and neuroscience with young musicians who are gifted in both fields! We'll speak with musician-scientists like Zoie, a 15-year-old euphonium player who is researching how music can reduce stress and Jascha, a 17-year-old pianist who says he'd love to peek inside Bach's brain. And of course, we'll hear some thought-provoking and awe-inspiring performances along the way. This podcast was recorded at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Music and the Brain

This week features young musicians studying at the Colburn School in LA. They range from a 14-year-old cellist who shares a mature performance of Beethoven to the winners of a major chamber music competition whose secret to success just might be their musical handshake. We also hear from an incredible trumpeter, a globe-trotting teen violinist, and a 15-year-old pianist performing Mendelssohn.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Terrific Trumpeter, Award-Winning Trio, & More

We're hearing great performances from young musicians who are inspired to connect their artistry with nature and their communities. A teen composer describes working with elementary school kids to create instruments out of trash and we hear from an 18-year-old violinist who reflects on the recent fires in her hometown of Altadena, California. Musicians, educators, eco-artists and sisters Josie and Sophie Davis join as co-hosts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Eco-Artists

Today's program offers incredible performances and a window into the lives of young musicians who are intertwining their artistry with their passion for nature, science, and the environment. We meet a teen who has turned scientific data and graphs into music, a composer who is inspired by conservation land in his home state of Maine, and a violinist who worked with elementary school children to turn ideas and artwork into a real garden. Musicians, educators, eco-artists and sisters Josie and Sophie Davis join as co-hosts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Music and Nature

We're paying homage to our beautiful planet and the works of art it inspires! A teen harpist from rural California performs Gary Schocker's Memory of Trees, a contemplation on the effects of climate change. Finally, a 17-year-old cellist plays The Swan and speaks of her work in environmental advocacy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Earth Day Special: Trees and Swans

We're celebrating Earth Day with performances that celebrate our natural world. Up first, a young oboist performs a piece inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of jimson weed and speaks about volunteering in a community garden. We also meet a teen pianist who performs Tan Dun's colorful homage to the Chinese countryside and a composer who connects with nature through the study of insects and shares a work inspired by the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Earth Day Special: Clouds and Beetles

A 17-year-old double-bassist plays an excerpt from a lyrical sonata. We meet a teen composer who writes music based on her life experiences, including her journey with cancer. We hear her work performed by the Seattle Symphony that was inspired by a backpacking trip.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Young Composer's Journey

We reconnect with Seattle Symphony's Assistant Principal Cellist and From the Top alum Nathan Chan who joins Peter and our teen cellist for a Shostakovich polka. We also meet an accomplished young violinist who demonstrates some difficult bowing and a teen guitarist from Portland plays a rare duo with Peter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pacific Northwest Talent with Guest Artist Nathan Chan

A 10-year-old cellist who has only been studying cello for three years performs Dvořák and a 15-year-old saxophonist performs the work of composer Steven Banks, who was also on From the Top as a teen. Finally, a foodie and pianist reflects on the similarities between cooking and music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dvořák, Sax, and Cooking

A teen pianist performs a beautiful Chopin Scherzo and then improvs in his other love, jazz, with Peter. A 17-year-old composer shares his violin fantasy. Finally, we meet a piano duo from Oregon who are surprised by a major influence in their musical lives, From the Top alum Greg Anderson, who is one half of the lauded Anderson and Roe duo.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Chopin, Piano Duo, and Greg Anderson

18-year-old violinist and From the Top alum Julia LaGrand co-hosts this special episode dedicated to celebrating the stories and performances of disabled and neurodivergent musicians. Julia, who is blind, also interviews special guest Itzhak Perlman. We meet a 16-year-old double bassist who began studying music when spina bifida made it difficult to keep up with youth sports leagues, a 14-year-old pianist who uses Braille scores to learn his repertoire, a 26-year-old cellist who believes his musical skills are sharpened by his autism, and a 16-year-old pianist with Escobar Syndrome who shares her journey to millions on social media. They perform works by Grieg, Liszt, and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Celebrating Musicians with Disabilities

We meet a 16-year-old composer from Chicago who is mentored by composer Jessie Montgomery and is also passionate about architecture. We hear a soprano perform a love song by Debussy. Finally, we meet a teen cellist who performs Shostakovich's dynamic Cello Sonata in D Minor.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Magnitude, French Love Song, & Shostakovich

We explore repertoire from major and minor keys, highlighting how young artists express the character and nuance that each represent. We hear a teen cellist perform a bright and sunny work with ties to both the Baroque and Romantic eras, a young violinist brings a dark and stormy Beethoven Sonata, and a 17-year-old pianist performs a major fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Major and Minor

A teen guitarist brings a percussive work by Roland Dyens, an 18-year-old cellist performs a Beethoven Cello Sonata, and a teen soprano sings a work entitled "Joy". We also hear a flashback performance from a French Horn player who was featured on the show back in 2012.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joy, Classical Guitar, and Beethoven Cello Sonata

Today's show is particularly joyful! A teen pianist plays Debussy's L'isle Joyeuse (Joyful Island) and a violinist performs Suk's Song of Love and speaks to the importance of connecting emotionally with the music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joyful Island

We're back in Kansas City with a 17-year-old double bassist who gives a heartfelt performance of Bottesini's Elegy No. 1. We meet a teen composer and learn about her journey in writing music, including creating an imaginative ocean adventure for the famous Kronos Quartet which you'll hear! Finally, we enjoy a flashback performance by prize-winning violinist Maria Ioudenitch from when she was a teen living in Kansas City.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Romantic Double Bass and Ocean Adventure

From Kansas City, we explore the connection between music and math with a 16-year-old pianist who also happens to be a champion swimmer. We hear a majestic performance of Dukas by a teen French horn player. A young flutist performs Ian Clarke's The Great Train Race and describes the technical and artistic challenges of emulating the sounds of a train in this exhilarating work.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Rachmaninoff, French Horn, and The Great Train Race

Our 25th birthday celebration continues with a dazzling performance of Chopin by a gifted 16-year-old cellist. We are treated to a performance of Vivaldi by a young bassoonist and witness a life-changing surprise. Peter sends us off with a flashback performance from when the legendary Paquito D'Rivera appeared on the show.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Chopin Cello Sonata & Vivaldi Bassoon

It's From the Top's 25th birthday! We meet a 13-year-old violinist who is equally accomplished in classical repertoire and fiddling. A 16-year-old pianist from New York performs a brilliant Beethoven Sonata and talks about her incredible experience in publishing. Finally, we reconnect with From the Top alum Yuna Langehennig and learn about her journey to becoming an Airman First Class in the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. She brings along her ensemble Heritage Winds and they perform a rousing work by Paquito D'Rivera.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Gershwin, Fiddle, & the United States Air Force Band's Heritage Winds

We hear the first work Brahms wrote for a solo instrument and a stunning Wieniawski Polonaise played by a 13-year-old violinist. We also meet a teenage baritone who has been drawn to community activism since childhood, a guitarist who plays an arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's Night in Tunisia, and a young pianist who shares a special tip she got from piano superstar Lang Lang...play like a grandma!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brahms, Wieniawski, and a Young Pianist

A pianist speaks of his passion for rocket science and his work with NASA, a talented teen violinist plays Beethoven and shares how an accident transformed his musicianship, a young composer shares a piece inspired by the loss of a loved one, and a versatile saxophonist plays Coltrane.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Beethoven, Rocket Science, & Coltrane

Meet members of our team and hear some fantastic performances that they have hand selected for you, including a flashback to someone special in host Peter Dugan's life!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

More Staff Favorites

This week we hear some of our team's favorite moments from the program!! You'll hear a thrilling teenage trio perform Beethoven, meet a young cellist with a moving story about the power of music, and enjoy a gorgeous performance of Bach by a social media-savvy teen oboist and violinist Tessa Lark and Peter Dugan.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Staff Picks Highlight Show

Violinist Charles Yang returns as co-host. We meet a bubbly teen violinist, a pianist with a mission to connect with audiences, and a cellist who opens up about mental health. The Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir sing us out with a performance that will have you on your feet and smiling!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Schumann, Haydn, and a Joyful Gospel Choir

We're celebrating a musical Thanksgiving with guest host Orli Shaham. Get ready to gobble up some wonderful performances of Tchaikovsky and Chopin by some remarkable teens.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Thanksgiving Feast with Orli Shaham

Today, we're recognizing the gift of music to inspire and bring people together with guest host Orli Shaham. Settle in for some fantastic performances of Beethoven, Debussy, and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Giving Thanks with Orli Shaham

Guest Host Orli Shaham finds common ground with a pair of siblings who remind her of growing up with her brother Gil. A lively quartet from Chicago play Ravel. A teen soprano speaks about representation in classical music and connecting with a composer who shares her heritage. A talented young pianist talks about having pianist parents.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ravel Quartet & Sibling Dynamics

A teen clarinetist who found a home-away-from-home surrounded by music and art at the Interlochen Arts Academy performs Schumann's Three Romances.  We also meet a 15-year-old violinist who found a way to transform her performance anxiety into an act of generosity.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy