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

Most Recent Episodes

Brilliant 9-Year-Old Pianist & More with Orli Shaham

Sparks fly when 9-year-old pianist Alexander Zhou takes the keys. Orli Shaham hosts this episode where we also hear from a teenage violist performing Rebecca Clarke’s beautiful viola Sonata.

Brilliant 9-Year-Old Pianist & More with Orli Shaham

Listen · 35:13
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Four Handed Mozart with Orli Shaham

Orli Shaham collaborates with a teenage pianist on a Mozart Sonata for four-hands. We also hear from a trumpeter who plays Gershwin and a 17-year-old violinist performing Beethoven.

Four Handed Mozart with Orli Shaham

Listen · 34:40
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Victor Wooten, Bach, & Gospel Marching Band

Grammy Award-winning bass player Victor Wooten joins us for our exciting musical journey out of Nashville. A talented teen flutist plays an elegant Bach Sonata and then improvises on that same work with Victor Wooten and Peter Dugan. We meet the drum major from Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands and hear selections from their Grammy Award-winning album. And if that’s not enough, we are treated to a special collaboration between our hosts!

Victor Wooten, Bach, & Gospel Marching Band

Listen · 42:51
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Beethoven to Bluegrass and Special Guest Victor Wooten

Grammy Award-winning bass player Victor Wooten joins us this week as we celebrate great music out of Nashville! We hear an electric performance on violin, imitating sounds from Jimi Hendrix’s guitar, by a teen musician who already holds a real job in an orchestra. We meet a talented pianist who performs Beethoven. And a teen bluegrass mandolin player with a career on the rise performs solo and collaborates on a toe-tapping tune with Victor Wooten and Peter Dugan.

Beethoven to Bluegrass and Special Guest Victor Wooten

Listen · 47:25
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Taaffe Zwilich Violin Fantasy and Flute Ballade

We hear the From the Top premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Fantasy for Solo Violin, who is the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in music. It’s performed by a teen violinist passionate about championing classical music. We meet a flutist determined to make a difference in the world. And our flashback finale features the 2016 performance by Claire Wells, who just recently was named a Young Concert Artist Jacobs Fellows.

Taaffe Zwilich Violin Fantasy and Flute Ballade

Listen · 31:03
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Barber to Ballroom Dancing

We’re speaking with young musicians about vulnerability and risk-taking, overcoming nerves, and how they draw inspiration from other passions like ballroom dancing. Plus, we are treated to incredible performances of a Turina piano trio, a Barber cello sonata, and a Chopin nocturne.

Barber to Ballroom Dancing

Listen · 34:04
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Self-Taught Violinist and Young Composer

We’re coming from Minnesota Public Radio in the Twin Cities with guest host Orli Shaham. We hear from a pianist/composer who performs a musical letter to his younger self, and an autodidactic teen violinist wows us with his journey.

Self-Taught Violinist and Young Composer

Listen · 25:34
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Ravel and Multifaceted Cellist

Orli Shaham joins us from Minnesota Public Radio in the Twin Cities, a place bursting with talented young artists, including a teen from a long line of Florentine musicians performing Ravel, a quartet who bonded in a forest, and a multifaceted cellist whose interests range from tennis to quantum computing.

Ravel and Multifaceted Cellist

Listen · 37:31
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Musical Trivia

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!

Musical Trivia

Listen · 1:06:24
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Dramatic Cello & Saxophone Elegy

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.

Dramatic Cello & Saxophone Elegy

Listen · 27:07
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