From the Top

We'll hear the adrenaline filled performances taking place at the 37th Annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition, meet the players, hear from the jury, and of course, learn who wins. Violinist Tessa Lark and pianist Peter Dugan co-host this portrait of one of our country's top competitions for young players.

Pianist Orli Shaham guest hosts. We meet a sensational 11-year-old pianist, a self-directed flutist who describes the mouthwatering food he finds in his hometown, a violinist who shares a moving piece inspired by the Holocaust, a young harpist who explores her creativity on her own Youtube Channel, and a thoughtful teenage violinist with a multicultural background.

Brothers from Chicago talk Formula One racing and share performances of Ysaÿe and Kovács, an award-winning chamber group from San Francisco plays a fiery Spanish trio, and a teen violinist talks about his interest in neuroscience and performs Mozart.

This special episode is dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the Sphinx Organization. Featuring musical excerpts from a live performance by critically-acclaimed chamber orchestra, the Sphinx Virtuosi, and stories told by the musicians, leaders, and educators whose lives have been changed by Sphinx. It also explores the pivotal role Sphinx has played in expanding diversity in the arts.

In honor of long-time From the Top announcer Joanne Robinson, this program features some of Robinson's superb comedic contributions to From the Top skits and humor segments. It also features performances by young performers personally chosen by Joanne Robinson for their power and joy.

A moving and sensitive performance of the music of Dvorak performed by a teenage cellist from Chicago, a young violinist from Washington, D.C. who loves to contemplate dark matter when he's not practicing the music of Bach, a teenage trombone quartet made up of two sets of siblings and more.

The young artists on this week's show bring a range of musical choices to the program, including a Nocturne, a romance, and a piece that chronicles the African diaspora. We also meet a piano duo who act a bit like the odd couple, but they perform with beautiful unity. Clarinetist Alex Laing co-hosts and performs Weber with Host Peter Dugan.

Special guest Kevin Olusola co-hosts this commemoration of Juneteenth featuring outstanding young Black musicians performing works by Florence Price, Coleridge-Taylor, Sam Cooke and more.

A tenor from coastal Maine who helps out with his Dad's lobster fishing business, a talented teenage violinist who got his start following YouTube tutorials, an award-winning teenage sax quartet, and a pianist who is passionate about music history all share their music on this week's episode.

Genre-bending violinist Charles Yang returns as co-host, collaborating with some incredible teen musicians from Texas. And don't miss the outstanding double-bassist who gives a fiery performance.