Category: Alumni

Recently, we started this column as a way to highlight the inspiring work of alumni during this global pandemic. We’re here today with a few more incredible updates, keep your tissues handy! Alumni, please continue to send updates to info@fromthetop.org. Dr. Rachel Easterwood appeared on From the Top in 2001 on Show 46 performing from […]

Here at From the Top, we’ve used this time to check in on our extended family of alumni. We have been delighted to receive updates from many alumni who have inventively shifted their work to help others during this pandemic. Their leadership is inspiring. Many others are calling on musical projects to offer hope and […]

What connects skateboarding and Paganini Violin Caprices? For Phillip Hammond, 17 year-old violinist from Bloomington, Indiana and a recipient of From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, it’s all about taking risks. Being able to pull off these techniques, whether on a skateboard or on a violin, requires him to be committed and […]

We are pleased to announce our upcoming Daily Joy Facebook Live events. Join us at Facebook.com/FromtheTopFans/Live. Upcoming Facebook Live Events: Wednesday April 29th – 8PM ET – Facebook Live: Inside the Episode with Peter Dugan and Philadelphia-based double bassist Braden Ellis. They will discuss From the Top’s new “Blanket Fort Show”, a program recorded remotely in […]

This post is meant to serve as a resource to our alumni. We are aware of some relief funds for artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we will update it as we learn of opportunities. Artist Relief Coalition Fund Tarisio Strings Gives Back YoungArts Alumni Emergency […]

We are thrilled to invite you to another From the Top Daily Joy Facebook Live concert, this Friday, April 10, at 6 PM ET with the amazing Pogossian Family Quintet, featuring three FTT alums: Anoush, Cara, and Eddie, and their talented parents Varty and Movses. About the Pogossian Family: Varty Manouelian made her American debut in […]

Join us this Friday, April 3 at 6pm ET for a From the Top Facebook Live Concert with the Sempre Sisters String Duo – featuring Olivia (20) and Charlotte (18) Marckx of Bellevue, Washington. You may remember Charlotte from our popular take on “Shake it Off”. For Day 16 of Daily Joy, Charlotte and Olivia […]

Join guitar duo Jack and Elle Davisson for a very special From the Top Facebook Live performance from their home in Palo Alto, California this Friday, March 27, 2020 at 6 PM ET. Visit Facebook.com/FromtheTopfans. See you there!

This article was adapted from a blog post published by Eunice Lee in August 2019. It is part of our ongoing series exploring the projects launched by the recipients of our Alumni Leadership Grant. Special thanks to the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation for their support of From the Top’s Alumni Leadership Grants. Eunice Lee is […]

On a Wednesday afternoon, eleven From the Top young musicians gathered in Boston to begin a 4-day residency. They arrived as strangers; some having traveled across the country to be there. One goal was clear – the young musicians had to prepare for a performance and recording for NPR’s From the Top radio show. (In fact, the group […]

From the Top Announces Peter Dugan as Permanent Host of its NPR Program  Vijay Gupta, Alex Laing, Tessa Lark, Orli Shaham and Charles Yang Comprise From the Top’s Newly Formed Team of Co-hosts & Creatives Boston, Massachusetts (January 23, 2020) – From the Top, America’s largest platform celebrating the voices and talents of America’s brightest […]

This week’s episode of NPR’s From the Top, taped at Dartmouth College with Guest Host Jeremy Denk, features two Jack Kent Cooke Young Artists: flutist Subin Cho and cellist Nygel Witherspoon. The award helps young musicians with the high costs of studying classical music. Recipients must demonstrate exceptional musical ability, quality of character, and financial […]

When we travel to hold auditions, we are as excited to meet new young musicians as we are to catch up with our fast-growing network of alumni in that area. This past July, Executive Director Gretchen Nielsen, Director of Development & External Relations Emily Borababy, and Scholarship and Recruitment Manager Javier Caballero held auditions at […]

On a rainy day in March, six young artists (see bottom) gathered in Boston’s historic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was the day before their performance on NPR’s From the Top and, since they had all met each other the previous evening at an ISGM Third Thursdays event, the reunion was brief but full of […]

This past June, 20-year-old cellist Zlatomir Fung won the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition’s top prize in the cello division, adding to his already impressive list of accolades that include first prize wins at the 2018 Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition and 2016 George Enescu International Cello Competition. As the first place winner of […]

This week, From the Top airs Show 367 with guest host Peter Dugan featuring the talents of 6 inspiring young musicians from across the country. Their stories are compelling, from 17-year-old Zachary Potts’ inspiring story about leaving the U.S. for the first time to see his horn teacher perform with the Berlin Philharmonic, to Los […]

From the Top is thrilled to announce the two recipients of the 2019 From the Top Alumni Leadership Grant, 19-year-old pianist Amir Siraj and 20-year-old pianist Eunice Lee! The Alumni Leadership Grant, generously funded by the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation, seeks to support alumni of From the Top’s media and arts leadership programs […]

  Charles Yang, a maverick violinist whose musical taste ranges from Bach to the Beatles, first appeared on From the Top in 2002 at the age of 14, delivering a show-stopping performance of Zigeunerweisen and professing his love for the violin, “the violin is like caffeine” he said, “…you get addicted to it…if I put […]

Dear friends: Happy New Year from all of us at From the Top! I hope you enjoyed a joyous and relaxing holiday season with loved ones. As a new calendar year begins, I would like to share several exciting updates taking place at FTT over the next several months: Boston Programs In 2019, FTT will […]

With 2018 solidly behind us, we finally had the chance to look back, take stock, and pull out some of our favorite moments from last year. From fantastically fun videos to empowering young musicians to make an impact in their community, 2018 was a year to remember. 1: Two of our music videos were included in WQXR’s […]