From the Top

Concert pianist Orli Shaham guest hosts this week's From the Top from Brunswick, Maine! We'll hear her talk shop with a superb teenage pianist who performs the music of Brahms, meet a violinist from Maine who happens to do serious biomedical research when he's not in the practice room, and a very young, very fun brother-sister guitar duo plays contemporary music from Brazil. *PERFORMERS* 16-year-old cellist Jiaxun "Caroline" Yao from Flushing, NY performing: I. Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto from the Sonata for Cello and Piano by Claude Debussy with Orli Shaham, piano || Davisson Guitar Duo: Elle Davisson, 10, and Jack Davisson,13, from Palo Alto, CA performing: "Jongo" by Paulo Bellinati || 17-year-old bassoonist Aaron Brown from Shapleigh, ME performing: I. Vivace from the Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by William Hurlstone, with Orli Shaham, piano. || 17-year-old pianist Avery Gagliano from Philadelphia, PA performing: I. Intermezzo in A minor and III. Ballade in G minor from 6 Klavierstücke, Op.118 by Johannes Brahms || 17-year-old violinist Brandon Aponte from Blue Hill, ME performing: "Méditation" from Thaïs by Jules Massenet, with Orli Shaham, piano || Finale: All performers with Orli Shaham perform VI. Le Pas Espagnol from Dolly Suite, Op.56 by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), arr. by Simon Frisch

Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Zhou Long is interviewed by host Christopher O'Riley

From East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, this week's From the Top features more than 100 young musicians from across Mainland China in their first ever public performance as the National Youth Orchestra of China under the direction of Maestro Ludovic Morlot. We hear the full ensemble perform "Rhyme of Taigu" by Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Zhou Long, a young clarinetist shares how he fell in love with the clarinet's sound at his first concert, and five members of the ensemble perform the energetic first movement of Francis Poulenc's Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet with Christopher O'Riley.

Married alums Peter Dugan and Kara Sainz sing Gershwin

Featuring music and interviews with From the Top alumni who are now professional musicians, this Where are They Now episode brings a delightful mix of performances of Ravel, Gershwin, Schumann, and an original work from one of From the Top's up-and-coming composer alumni.

This week on From the Top, legendary jazz pianist Fred Hersch collaborates with young performers with guest host Yuga Cohler. We hear a teenage pianist join Hersch in a piano duo performance of Samuel Barber, an award-winning string quartet wows the audience with Mendelssohn, and a young cellist performs one of Hersch's original compositions, "Bittersweet Tango". PERFORMERS: 14-year-old violinist Hina Khuong-Huu, 17-year-old pianist Avik Sarkar, The Kairos String Quartet, 19-year-old cellist Lydia Rhea.

Host Christopher O'Riley interviews conductor, Marin Alsop.

From Purchase, New York, this week's From the Top highlights the 115 incredible young musicians that make up Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra of the USA. Featured on the program are four performances by the full ensemble under renowned conductor Marin Alsop including an adrenaline-inducing performance of John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" and a newly-commissioned work by composer Gabriela Lena Frank.

Christopher O'RIley and teenage violinist, John Fawcett talk about nuanced bowing technique.

From the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, this week's From the Top features the winning ensemble of KDFC's Local Vocals High School Choir Sing-Off and, at 120 singers, it's the largest choir ever featured on the program. We meet a 17-year-old pianist with a moving story to tell about losing access to her beloved piano for financial reasons and how she overcame that situation ... and a young string quartet performs the rhapsodic first movement of Debussy's string quartet in G major, Op. 10.