4/4
Oboist Ella Xu, 13, from New York, New York
Eishin Richard Hiraishi , 18, from Muncie, Indiana
Guitarist Kiran Lee, 17, from Palo Alto, California
Pianist Evelyn Shengxi Yang, 13, from New York, New York
Arcturus Saxophone Quartet from Frisco, Texas
Flashback FinaleLucas Stratmann
4/11: Chopin, Haydn, and Special Guest Greg Anderson
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. 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. 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, we meet a foodie and pianist who reflects on the similarities between cooking and music.
4/18
Pianist Henry Hewitt, 16, from Mobile, Alabama
Madeline Cagle, 18, French Horn, from Bessemer, Alabama
Alex Davis, 13, banjo from Madison, Alabama
Violinist Lauren Yejin Kang, 15, from Vestavia Hills, Alabama
Soprano Taylor-Marie Robinson, 18, from Greenville, South Carolina
Clarinetist Rachel Easterwood from Anniston, Alabama
Guest Artist K.J. Willis with Peter Dugan and all of the young performers perform a special finale.
4/25: Music and Nature
We’re celebrating Earth Day and the power of music to connect us with nature and our communities. We’re meeting five young artists who worked with From the Top mentors to create projects that explored their interest in both music and the environment. We also enjoy their phenomenal musicianship. Our co-hosts are musicians, educators, eco artists, and sisters, Josie and Sophie Davis, who were part of the group of professionals mentoring today’s young artists.
We meet a teen who has turned scientific data and graphs into music, a composer who is inspired by conservation land in his hometown in Maine, and a violinist who worked with children to turn ideas and artwork into a real garden. A teen composer describes working with elementary school kids to create instruments out of trash and we hear from an 18-year-old violinist who reflects on the recent fires in her community of Altadena, California.