From the Top

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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