From the Top

From the Top

From the Top showcases the music, stories, and unique insights of America's finest young classical musicians.

Episodes

Musical Trivia

January 12, 2026 • 66 mins
We’re celebrating the release of our brand-new album From the Top 25. You’ll hear performances from young artists on the album and learn interesting facts and trivia about the repertoire they perform!

From the Top 25 is available on most major streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify!

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Dramatic Cello & Saxophone Elegy

January 5, 2026 • 27 mins
We meet a teen cellist from a large musical family who performs a theatrical piece by Cassadó. An 18-year-old saxophone player with a commitment to community engagement delivers a moving Elegy by Fauré.

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Romance & Silence

December 29, 2025 • 41 mins
A dedicated teen violinist and poet performs Amy Beach’s passionate Romance. A clarinetist describes a moment discovering complete silence out in nature and how he draws on that feeling in his performance of Debussy.

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Debussy and Rhapsody for Alto Sax

December 22, 2025 • 24 mins
A wonderful teen violinist who has lived all over the world performs Debussy. A 17-year-old saxophone player from Texas shares how he found his first instrument in a pawn shop and hasn’t put the sax down since. He performs an exquisite Rhapsody by André Waignein.

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Band Room to Recording Studio

December 15, 2025 • 36 mins
Today’s episode is dominated by instruments you’d find in a high school band room and many of our featured teen artists discovered their love for performing through school music programs. We meet a tuba player and a trombonist who followed their passion to Interlochen Arts Academy and a percussionist who is at home in front of the marimba.

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Composer Jessie Montgomery and more Black Voices in Classical Music

December 8, 2025 • 33 mins
Composer Jessie Montgomery joins us as we continue our celebration of Black From the Top alumni and their contributions to classical music. 

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Black Voices in Classical Music with Alex Laing

December 1, 2025 • 38 mins
Guest Host Alex Laing joins for a celebration of Black artists in classical music. We’re catching up with From the Top alumni who are making waves in the field.

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Musicians from Rural America: Violin and Banjo

November 24, 2025 • 31 mins
A 15-year-old violinist introduces us to his charming coastal community of Damariscotta, Maine and a talented young banjo player brings us into her musical home in the foothills of Leicester, North Carolina.
 
Co-host/violinist Tessa Lark draws on her own childhood in Kentucky as she reflects with Peter Dugan on the stories and performances of these talented young musicians from rural communities. Don’t miss the videos of eac...
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Musicians from Rural America: Louisiana to California

November 17, 2025 • 45 mins
We meet a teen violinist down by the bayou in Monroe, Louisiana, travel to the rolling farmland of Redlands, California to the home of a driven young guitarist, and hear from a young composer who enjoys the support of his community in Fargo, North Dakota.
 
Co-host/violinist Tessa Lark speaks about her own upbringing in Eastern Kentucky as she reflects with Peter Dugan on the experiences of these talented young artists from s...
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Chopin Cello Sonata & Vivaldi Bassoon

November 10, 2025 • 33 mins
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.

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

November 3, 2025 • 47 mins
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 Amer...
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More Renowned Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award Alumni

October 27, 2025 • 40 mins
We are celebrating the 20th year of our Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and reconnecting with some musical stars who received the Award as teens. We’ll meet the executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and catch up with a world-renowned opera singer and an Avery Fisher Career Grant winning-pianist.

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20 Years of Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Awards and Accomplished Alums

October 20, 2025 • 35 mins
We're celebrating our 20-year partnership with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and hearing how the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award has empowered young musicians with financial need. We’ll meet two past recipients: a violinist/arts leader who has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for young artists of diverse backgrounds and a lauded concert flutist who is also passionate about education and access.

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Classical Guitar, Sax Quartet, & More

October 13, 2025 • 59 mins
We meet an award-winning saxophone quartet from Texas. A teen flutist who is also a talented figure skater performs Faure. An impressive 16-year-old performs a piece by a guitarist/composer who inspires him, and a violinist from Hong Kong studying in Los Angeles tells us about how a letter from a stranger impacted his life.

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Sentimental Sax and Sparkling Marimba

October 6, 2025 • 27 mins
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!

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Brahms Viola to Carnegie Hall

September 29, 2025 • 32 mins
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.

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Inventive Young Guitarist and Piazzolla for Four Cellos

September 22, 2025 • 33 mins
A guitarist-composer invents her own sound, a young pianist performs Liszt with power and finesse and an all-star cello quartet rocks Piazzolla.

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Trumpeter’s Musical Legacy and a Tremendous Tenor

September 15, 2025 • 26 mins
We meet a trumpeter from a small town in Mexico with music in his blood. A tenor sings Mozart with beautiful color.

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Award-Winning Trio and Sax Quartet

September 8, 2025 • 28 mins
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.

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Accordion Virtuoso and More

September 1, 2025 • 33 mins
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.


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