From the Top

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! See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...

Composer Jessie Montgomery joins us as we continue our celebration of Black From the Top alumni and their contributions to classical music.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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....

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...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona...

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 Unite...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...

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 educat...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...

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! See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorsh...

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

A guitarist-composer invents her own sound, a young pianist performs Liszt with power and finesse and an all-star cello quartet rocks Piazzolla. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

We meet a trumpeter from a small town in Mexico with music in his blood. A tenor sings Mozart with beautiful color. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

We’re meeting some phenomenal musicians from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Mass. The school is celebrating 50 years as an arts high school and sharing its talented teens with Guest Host Orli Shaham and listeners. Enjoy performances of Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and more. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to ma...

A young violinist explores the connection between powerlifting and music. A teen bassoonist plays a stirring piece, a trombonist shows off the range of his instrument and shares his passion for nutrition. A flutist performs on the new instrument purchased through her Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. And a young composer presents their exciting work for an eclectic grouping of instruments! See p...

We’re back at the 2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. You’ll hear more incredible performances, including some with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and meet semi-finalists and winners of the competition. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Polic...

We're backstage at the 2023 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. Hear brilliant performances from the competitors and learn more about this outstanding group of young pianists gathered from around the world. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

A teen guitarist from Colorado plays a beautiful work by Bach, a cellist plays an emotional Elegy by John Williams, and a pianist performs a piece that draws from the worlds of classical and jazz. We'll also hear from a teenage bassoonist who shares what it's like living with neurodivergence and meet a young clarinetist who left his home in Peru to pursue music in the U.S. See pcm.adswizz.com for...