From the Top

From the Top is an independent nonprofit organization known best for its longstanding NPR radio and PBS television programs with the same name. Co-founded by Gerald Slavet and Jennifer Hurley-Wales in 1995, the organization showcases and develops emerging classical musicians through live events, radio and video broadcasts, scholarships, and arts education programs aimed at empowering young citizen-artists.

For the album by The Carpenters, see From the Top (album).
Host Peter Dugan interviews 18-year-old violinist Akili Farrow on NPR's From the Top

About

From the Top is America’s largest national platform celebrating the stories, talents, and character of young classically-trained musicians. Through a unique balance of storytelling and musical performance, From the Top has made its mark, sharing stories and music of more than 3,000 emerging artists to a national audience.

From inception through the Oct. 22, 2018 episode, it was hosted by pianist Christopher O'Riley.[1] Pianist Peter Dugan, who had been a guest host during the 2018-2019 season, is the permanent host for its nationally distributed NPR radio program, starting with the 2020-21 season.[2]

Host

From the Top alum and host Peter Dugan permanently took over as host of the nationally distributed NPR radio program in the 2020-21 season.

In 2007, Dugan first appeared on the show at age 18 as a pianist. He guest hosted nine episodes from 2018 to 2020. For 11 years, he appeared globally as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has performed with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Jesse Colin Young, and Glenn Close, among other music greats. His debut with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in 2017 was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning.”

He is also committed to Operation Superpower, a superhero opera program he founded for children.

Awards

From the Top received two daytime Emmy Awards in 2007 and 2008 for its PBS series, From the Top Live at Carnegie Hall.

Scholarships

Since 2006, From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation have awarded over $3 million in scholarships to exceptional young musicians with financial need through the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award Scholarship.

In addition to providing young artists with an opportunity to perform on From the Top’s national broadcasts, recipients are awarded up to $10,000 to help offset the costs of studying classical music at a high level.

Each year, From the Top chooses approximately 20 exceptional pre-collegiate musicians ages 8-18 to receive the award.

Executive Leadership

From the Top appointed Gretchen Nielsen as Executive Director on March 1, 2018. Under her tenure, the show announced a new host on January 23, 2020, and new creative team, composed of the nation’s top musicians and community advocates.

Creative Team

In 2020, From the Top announced a new team of strategic and collaborative partners aimed at helping inform future development of excellent citizen-musicians. The creative group includes violinist Vijay Gupta, violinist Tessa Lark, clarinetist Alex Laing, pianist Orli Shaham, and violinist Charles Yang.

Vijay Gupta, an esteemed violinist, speaker, and educator on the intersection of music and education, mental health, and social issues, is also the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, which provides musical engagement for homeless and incarcerated communities in Los Angeles. A year after performing on From the Top, he joined the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 19, where he played through 2018.

Alex Laing is the principal clarinetist for the Phoenix Symphony, a post he has held since 2002. Eager to explore the classical music art form and its unfixed future, Laing formed The Leading Ton, a nonprofit after-school program that brings music to young people and explores creative youth development. He received the 2018 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and was one of Musical America's Professionals of the Year in 2017.

From the Top alumna violinist Tessa Lark is a recipient of a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition. She received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for “Torke: Sky, Concerto for Violin,” Tessa Lark; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony). She hosted From the Top in October 2019.

Concert pianist Orli Shaham served as guest host on From the Top in 2018 and 2019. The New York Times called her a "brilliant pianist.” She is widely recognized for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. In addition to performing concertos and recitals globally, she created and hosts a live interactive concert series for young children. Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard (formerly Baby Got Bach) was founded in 2010, and is recognized by parents, media and the music community as a significant force in music education and entertainment.

Crossover artist Charles Yang is described by the Boston Globe as one who "plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star" and the recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award. He appeared on From the Top as a 14-year-old and has been featured on From the Top at Carnegie Hall on PBS, and numerous other From the Top projects since.

Citizen Musicianship // Offstage Artistry

From the Top employs music as a catalyst for social connection. For 20 years, the program has showcased and championed talented young classical musicians through live performances, produced radio and television programs, educational programs, and more.

Today the organization celebrates diversity and encourages the next generation of classical artists. A diverse creative team, including Vijay Gupta, Alex Laing, Tessa Lark, Orli Shaham, and Charles Yang, was announced in January 2020 to provide guidance and vision for the organization’s future.

In an interview with Classical KUSC host and Los Angeles Philharmonic broadcaster Brian Lauritzen, Executive Director Gretchen Nielsen stated that she understands the desire of today’s emerging musicians to develop “artistry beyond the stage,” including supporting homeless populations or working to introduce children to music.

Notable Alumni

From the Top has featured over 3,000 diverse musicians who now perform professional in the nation’s top orchestras, enjoy solo careers, educate, study astrophysics, and work to employ music as a tool to improve their communities.

Alumni news, stories and other information is shared via social media and the From the Top website.

gollark: bright pink > blurple
gollark: Purple.
gollark: Aesthetic stuff *has some practical value*.
gollark: But I've done this so that it is easier to, at a glance, correlate things, and distinguish them, and whatnot.
gollark: You might think "OH NO, IT IS COLORED, THAT IS BLOAT".

References
  1. "Alum Yuga Cohler Guest Hosts NPR's From the Top in Boston". From the Top. August 28, 2018. The 2018–2019 recording season is the first without long-time host Christopher O’Riley, who made his last recording on June 5, 2018.
  2. "Announcing New Host and Team of Co-Hosts and Creatives". From the Top. January 23, 2020.
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