Alumni

We’ve recently received updates on alum Jeremy Jordan, a Chicago pianist who appeared on Show 083 in Norton, Massachusetts and again on Season 1, Episode 5 of From the Top at Carnegie Hall. Jeremy graduated from Juilliard last year and is now working on his master’s degree there.

Photo courtesy of Chicago Sinfonietta

Jeremy has also performed at the Symphony Center in Chicago on the Steinway Peace Piano as part of a benefit for UNICEF. In 2010 he won the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. Piano Competition.

Jeremy has been busy traveling the world, performing at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and at the Rudolfinum in Prague. He even performed with Yo-Yo Ma last February to honor Dr. Paul Freeman of the Chicago Sinfonietta!

We hope Jeremy’s continuing studies at Juilliard go well and that he continues to stun audiences around the world!

This week 152 young artists gathered in Miami for the 2012 YoungArts Week, a core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Nine of them are current or soon-to-be From the Top alumni and include:

Noah Dugan, trumpet – Show 235
Kimberly Hou, piano – Show 232
Sirena Huang, violin – Show 188
Grant Jameson, euphonium – upcoming Show 246 in Pittsburgh, PA
John Lee, cello – upcoming Show 251 in Potsdam, NY
Anna Litvinenko, cello – Show 156
Kate Liu, piano – Show 238
John Ringor, percussion – Shows 202, 206, and 220
Rieko Tsuchida, piano – Show 161 and 211

The YoungArts Week performances are being live-streamed on www.youngarts.org with the final performances tomorrow, Friday, January 13!

The finalists are chosen from more than 5,000 applicants in nine disciplines in the visual, literary and performing arts. The week includes master classes by world-renowned artists, performances, and exhibitions. 20 of the finalists will also be selected as 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, an award given at the White House with the opportunity to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C!

We hope all of our alums have had a great week in Miami!

More about YoungArts

YoungArts is the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). The organization’s mission is to identify emerging artists, provide educational enrichment and assistance in their pursuit of the arts, and to raise the appreciation for and support of the arts in American society. Dedicated to inspiring and nurturing young artists, NFAA was founded in 1981 by businessman and visionary, the late Ted Arison, and his wife Lin. The YoungArts program identifies the next generation of emerging artists and contributes to the cultural vitality of the nation by investing in the artistic development of thousands of gifted artists in nine disciplines in the visual, literary and performing arts. At the request of The Commission on Presidential Scholars, which is appointed by the President of the United States, NFAA serves as the exclusive nominating agency for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

11-year-old pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Victoria Young (Show 235 in Oklahoma City) just returned from an exciting trip to Germany! The Cooke scholarship allowed Victoria and her mom BeeLee to travel overseas so Victoria could attend a masterclass with Professor Inge Rosar. Professor Rosar is the organizer of the International Bach Competition in Germany, which was won by Hilda Huang, another From the Top alum, last year!

BeeLee shared some great details of their experience with us:

There is no way for me to tell how amazing Professor Inge Rosar was. She was knowledgeable, humorous, humble, energetic, and so passionate about teaching and playing Bach’s music. The class went from around 9:45am to 7 or 8pm at night! The best thing (at least for Victoria) was only 2 students showed up for the class. Victoria got almost 4 hours of private coaching for each day. When the other student played, Professor Rosar gave Victoria the music and asked her to find the structure. She taught them how to listen to the “parameters” of the compositions. She explained clearly which teachings were based on historical findings and which were from her own experiences. Even though I don’t know much about music, I enjoyed every minute in the class. Professor Rosar told us about her life philosophy and I truly believe that a great musician comes with a great heart.

Victoria, fellow student, and Professor Rosar

Victoria learned so much in these 4 days that now she knows how to analyze not only Bach’s music, but also Classical and Romantic music. She played for her teacher in Las Vegas on January 3, and her teacher was so impressed that she herself decided to plan a trip to Germany to take masterclass from Professor Rosar in March.

Victoria and BeeLee in Saarbrücken, Germany

BeeLee wrapped up her email to us with a very sweet thank you to note to From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation:

Many people that we know thought that going to Germany for a 4 days class sounded really crazy. I was once one of these people before Victoria’s teacher “lectured” me about the difference of learning from a master. I think [From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation] truly understand the great impact of these classes on young musicians and gave us so much encouragement on our decision. Thank you again. Without the scholarship and your kind support on making all the reservations for us, I would never thought of making this trip is possible (I know it sounds like a commercial speech, but that’s how I really feel).

We thank BeeLee for her nice feedback and look forward to following Victoria’s musical career!

You can see more pictures of Victoria and BeeLee’s trip to Germany on Facebook.

Pianist Adria Ye, who performed on Show 201 in Boston, Massachusetts when she was 11, is flourishing as a freshman at Council Rock High School South in Pennsylvania. She plays a ton of instruments in her school’s orchestra: piano, marimba, xylophone, celesta, maracas, glockenspiel, and triangle! And now, Adria will be one of 26 members selected from the Council Rock South Orchestra to perform at the White House on December 22.

Adria Ye rehearsing for Show 201 in Boston at age 11.

The event is one of several holiday open houses at the White House, and the school’s vocal ensemble will also perform.Adria will also play in a Beethoven trio with the concert master (a senior at the high school) and the orchestra director Christopher Simon. Good luck, Adria!

We recently heard from alum Lauren Chipman, a violist who first performed on Show 041 in Austin, Texas at age 17 (and later on Show 046 in Boston, Massachusetts and was a 10th anniversary alumni performer on Show 204 in Granville, Ohio). It turns out that things are going very well for her in Los Angeles–she has been frequently performing on NBC’s Tonight Show!

Lauren on Show 204

Lauren’s also just been hired by The Colburn School, an intense performing arts academy in Los Angeles. There, she will oversee the Colburn School Academy’s Outreach program, which gives the Academy’s high school students the opportunity to teach lessons to second graders from local schools.

Keep a look out for Lauren this Friday, December 16 when she will be performing again on The Tonight Show with Chris Cornell, a singer from the band Soundgarden. We’re very proud of her accomplishments, especially as she leads the inspirational music initiative Outreach at the Colburn School Academy!

15-year-old cellist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Matthew Liversedge has always believed that music can be enjoyed by anyone, and wanted to share that view with other high school students in his community. So on the morning of September 30th, Matt and his friend Stephen Wright (violin) visited the Oakdale Christian Academy, a boarding school for high school students, to share this message. They created a program that combined both classical and popular works, tying them together as pieces that inspire their own playing. Matt’s program was part of the school’s daily chapel session, which meets for an hour every morning..

“My primary goal was to help these high-school age students to connect personally with my music by making the performance personal and interactive. I wanted to communicate the enjoyment and pleasure music can bring to an individual by presenting the music as fun and exciting, yet also as something serious and concrete.”

Read more about Matt’s presentations on our Arts Leadership Map!

With praise from the New York Times and the BBC Music Magazine, pianist and From the Top alum Natasha Paremski has been making a name for herself! Her debut recital album, featuring works by Kahane, Prokofiev, and Brahms, was released November 8 and made the top 10 in the Billboard Classical Charts!

Photo credit: Andrea Joynt

Natasha performed on Show 016 in Boston, Massachusetts at 12 years old. Since then, she has played with symphony orchestras in San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles, Taiwan, and more. She has also performed at Wigmore Hall in London, the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, and in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She recently premiered a piece written for her by George Kahane and was named the 2010 Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year, which allowed her to record the hit album.

Natasha will perform the Dvořák piano concerto with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra December 1-3; you can purchase tickets here. We’re glad Natasha’s lighting up the stage and wish her luck in all her performances!

Image courtesy of Juilliard.edu

It’s been a while since violinist Siwoo Kim was on Show 159 in Columbus, Ohio in 2007. Now, Siwoo tells us he’s a senior at The Juilliard School and it seems like he’s becoming a flourishing performer! As the winner of  Juilliard’s violin concerto competition, he will be performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Juilliard Orchestra (under direction of acclaimed conductor James DePreist) on Monday, December 5 at 8pm in Carnegie Hall. Tickets are $15 or $30, and can be ordered online at www.carnegiehall.org or by calling (212) 247-7800. More information can be found in the concert press release (From the Top gets a shout out in Siwoo’s bio!)

This past year, Siwoo has also performed solo concertos with the Tulsa and Springfield (MO) Symphonies. Since appearing on From the Top, he has won numerous competitions, including the 2010 Corpus Christi International Competition in which he took second place.

We hope Siwoo continues to have fantastic performances and wish him luck in this upcoming concert!

18-year-old pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Yifan Wu wanted to find a way to reach out to the elderly in his hometown of Flushing, New York. He was introduced to the Korean American Senior Center, and reached out to their event coordinator in hopes of taking part in one of their weekly programs with its members. The event was a combination of music and activities, with staff from the Center engaging the audience through movement and dance.

“This performance showed me that the main point is not how good a performance is, but to bring happiness to your audience. They were all really sweet, and love life and music. At this event, my music brought them happiness, which made me very happy.”

Read more about Yifan’s performance on our Arts Leadership Map!

Last month we posted information about alum George Li’s Boston debut recital at Jordan Hall on October 29–one of the recitals awarded him as the first place winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions. But we’ve only just caught wind of the wonderful reviews that Li’s tour through Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. has received from the Washington Post, the Boston Phoenix, and the New York Times!

“Li’s performance left no doubt that he combines staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression,” wrote Cecelia Porter of the Washington Post. The New York Times praised George for his “charming interpretation” of Variations of Pierre Rode’s “Ricordanza” by Czerny, “whose filigree and runs Mr. Li played with elegance and wit.”

“As a keyboard technician, he’s as virtuosic as Lang Lang, but his palette has more colors, and his approach to playing is appealingly, touchingly music-directed, not self-directed,” raved Lloyd Schwartz of the Boston Phoenix. “His fast playing is not only breathtaking, but beautiful. And musical.”

Sixteen-year-old George appeared on  Show 144 in Boston, Massachusetts at age 10. His performances continue through June 2012 and will take him to Ohio, Vancouver, Massachusetts, Sweden, and finally South Carolina for the Southeastern Piano Festival.

George’s parents tell us they’re extremely proud and thank his teachers, his school Walnut Hill,  the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and others for their guidance and support. From the Top is also very proud and hopes George continues to rake in great reviews!

Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki, who appeared on Show 181 in Portland, Oregon, will perform in Carnegie Hall on Thursday, November 18 at 8pm for a recital benefiting the Glenn Gould Foundation. The concert, honoring Gould’s legacy, will feature Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Ravel.

Marika on From the Top in 2008

Marika has done a lot of work with the Glenn Gould Foundation, which celebrates and promotes music in honor of Gould. She performed in another benefit concert in 2008, and participated in the 75th anniversary celebration of Gould’s birth in 2007.

“I feel privileged to be associated once more with The Glenn Gould Foundation and with Gould’s constant search for musical creativity,” Marika said. “As a young artist, I’m excited to help the Foundation continue its mission to honor his spirit and transform lives through the power of music.”

Click here for more ticket information, or go online to www.carnegiehall.org. We hope Marika performs beautifully (as she has in the past) for Gould’s fans!

We’re excited to hear from our friends at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) that three From the Top alums were chosen for APAP’s Young Performers Career Advancement Program (YPCA) this year! Cellist Sebastian Bäverstam (Show 011 in Cambridge, MA, Show 115 in Southborough, MA, and Show 144 in Boston, MA), pianist Michael Brown (Show 109 in Lancaster, PA), and violinist Karla Donehew-Perez (Show 069 in San Francisco, CA) will perform in an APAP Showcase in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Monday, January 9.

Cellist Sebastian Bäverstam performs on Show 115 as part of the Sarquindi Quartet.

The goal of YPCA is to help professional musicians advance their career by giving them opportunities to meet presenters, managers, and agents. As YPCA participants, these three alums will attend seminars at the APAP’s annual conference in New York City and establish connections that will allow for a fulfilling, successful career in music.

Pianist Michael Brown rehearses for Show 109 back in 2004

“One of our core missions at Arts Presenters is to support the professional development of emerging artists,” said APAP President and CEO Mario Garcia Durham. “This year’s YPCA participants are extraordinarily talented classical musicians, and we are delighted to advance their knowledge about the industry while featuring their work as artists.”

Congratulations to Sebastian, Michael, and Karla!

From the Top alum Annika Jenkins, a 17-year-old violinist who studies at the Juilliard Pre-College Division, will perform Tchaikovsky masterpieces this month in the Virginia Beach building that made her a local hero.

Annika's upcoming November concert will feature works by Tchaikovsky

At 10 years old, Annika convinced the Virginia Beach city council that despite budget restrictions, they should build a new performing arts center for the city. Annika brought a large teddy bear jar of change and her violin to the City Council meeting, and with her music she persuaded enough councilors to vote in favor of construction. Seven years later she was featured on Show 234 in the same venue she lobbied for: the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

In the upcoming concert on November 20, Annika will perform Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 6, Op. 74 in B minor and the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Op. 35 in D major with Symphonicity, the symphony orchestra of Virginia Beach. Tickets range from $19-29, with a $10 student, military, or group discount. Click here to download the official invitation or check out www.symphonicity.org for tickets and more information.

We wish Annika good luck in her performance at the arts center that she helped build!

Anna DeLoi (harp) and Nash Ryder (violin), two arts leaders of From the Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders, will be presenting a benefit concert this Sunday, October 30th at 3pm at the Unitarian Universality Church in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Click here to view the invitation (PDF).

Donations given will directly support MusiConnects, the music education nonprofit they have worked with since January. Read more about Anna and Nash’s inspiring leadership project.

Admission to the concert is free and open to the public. There will be a reception following the performance – a great time to catch up with Anna and Nash and learn more about their music and arts leadership work!

Address: Unitarian Universality Church, 28 Mugford Street, Marblehead, MA

It’s been ten whole years since we’ve heard from alum Andrew Roitstein, a bassist who played on Show 051 in Lenox, Massachusetts alongside his twin brother, flutist Matthew Roitstein.

These days Andrew lives in New York and plays with another From the Top alum, violinist Pala Garcia (Show 068 in Portland, Oregon), in the Toomai String Quintet, the resident string ensemble for Carnegie Hall’s Music Connections program. Through this program, the group plays in hospitals, community centers, and even correctional facilities. They are currently the Ensemble in Residence at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

“We are working with Jacobi staff to create a ‘musical hospital’,” said Andrew. “We are searching for ways that we can make not only an emotional, but also medical impact through our music.” Andrew’s work with the music hospital is similar to the arts leadership project of another radio show alum. This year violinist Caeli Smith founded Rayos de Canción (Rays of Music) to raise awareness about the power of music to facilitate healing. She traveled to Guatemala with several Juilliard students to put her work into action – read about it on our map!

Andrew on a music outreach trip to Mexico.

Andrew has been a substitute for the New York and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras, but a large part of his career is spent working with young people. He is part of the faculty at the New York Philharmonic’s School Partnership Program and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, helping public school elementary students perform, compose, and see great classical music. Andrew’s work with children was greatly inspired by his time on From the Top, which he said really set an example.

“As a professional musician looking back on my experience with From the Top, I think the show really demonstrates how much of a difference one meaningful, high-quality musical encounter can make on a young person,” said Andrew. “Now that I work with young people, I strive to instill that same sense of empowerment in them, whether I am playing an interactive concert, teaching a lesson, or getting a group of Brooklyn public school 3rd graders ready to watch their first NY Philharmonic concert.”

We are thrilled to announce that starting November 6, From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley will air weekly on Sundays at 12pm on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)! We’ve been off the air in Minnesota for some time, and this very exciting news that we just received yesterday.

On a related note, Classical MPR’s Artist-in-Residence for 2011-12 is a three-time From the Top alum! 17-year-old violinist Chad Hoopes appeared on Show 171 in Cleveland, OH and Show 189 in Cincinnati, OH, and on Season 2 of PBS’ From the Top at Carnegie Hall a few years ago. As part of the Artist-In-Residence program, Chad will participate in educational activities at Minnesota schools and give concert performances in towns throughout the state. Click here to see a recent video of him performing Ravel’s “Tzigane” at the MacPhail Center for Music in St. Paul.

Chad Hoopes at age 14

Four-time radio show alum Sarina Zhang will perform with the New York Philharmonic next month! Sarina appeared as a pianist on Show 112 in San Diego, CA and Highlight Show 011, and as a cellist on Show 163 in Lewiston, NY and Show 236 in Rockport, MA. Sarina’s appearance with the NY Phil is part of their Young People’s Concert Series, with this particular event on Saturday, November 12 at 2pm celebrating Leonard Bernstein.

Sarina on Show 163 in Lewiston, New York, with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Renowned bass singer Kevin Deas is also scheduled to perform at this event. The program includes a few of Bernstein’s pieces, including “Ain’t Got No Tears Left” from On the Town and music from Aaron Copland, Antonín Dvořák, and the traditional Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Sarina will perform “The Masque” from The Age of Anxiety, Symphony No. 2, a piece for piano and orchestra.

Tickets range from $12.00 to $34.00 and can be purchased online here.

We wish Sarina good luck on her big performance!

From the Top alums Karen Christianson (organ) and George Li (piano) are giving concerts in the Boston later this month!

Karen, a junior in high school, will perform at Harvard University’s Adolphus Busch Hall in Cambridge at 12:15 pm on Thursday, October 27. The concert is presented by the Harvard Organ Society, with the Harvard Art Museums and the Memorial Church.

Organist Karen Christianson in Abilene, TX

Karen appeared on Show 223 in Abilene, Texas at age 15 in November 2010, and performed “Everyone Dance” by Calvin Hampton. In the past year, Karen has performed at Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., and at the Princeton University Chapel, which broadcast her performance live on WWFM 89.1FM.

16-year-old George will perform on October 29 at the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall at 8pm, one of three debut recitals awarded to him after winning first place in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The program includes Variations on “La Ricordanza” by Czerny and Rode, Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19 by Schoenberg, three movements from Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 by Beethoven, and pieces from Liszt and Ravel.

Pianist George Li (center) performing with the Vivace Trio in Boston, MA

George appeared on Show 144 in Boston, Massachusetts in May 2006 at age 10 as part of the Vivace Trio. The trio played the third movement of Trio in C Major, HobXV, No.27 by Haydn. Last year, George won first prize in the Cooper International Piano Competition, which included a full scholarship to Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the opportunity to perform in China! His other Young Concert Artist debuts are in Washington D.C. and New York City.

Good luck Karen and George!

Three-time radio/TV show alum Mike Thurber reached out to us earlier this year with an exciting idea – he wanted to create a recording to celebrate From the Top’s efforts to support young artists and keep classical music alive and well.

Mike teamed up with other From the Top alums Charles Yang, Ibanda Ruhumbika and Caleb Hudson, and they worked with Matt McCorkle at Equal Sonics in New York City to make “And the Sound is Music.”

After months of hard work, the song is completed and available for download! Mike and his team also produced a mini-documentary about this project:

You can download the song here by giving as much as you’re moved, and the proceeds will benefit our Center for the Development of Arts Leaders.

A huge thanks to Mike, Matt, Charles, Ibanda, and Caleb for their hard work over the summer!