From the Blog: Alumni Spotlight

A nice article in Cleveland’s Plain Dealer about From the Top alum cellist Matthew Allen and his past life as a football player.

http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2010/02/leaving_football_behind_cellis.html

Matthew also appears on the CD From the Top at the Pops recorded with the Cincinnati Pops last year.

Parker Quartet

American Public Media’s Performance Today has partnered with the world-renowned Parker Quartet (featuring several From the Top alums) to offer an exciting national competition opportunity for young aspiring classical string quartets.

Performance Today will award the winning quartet a Master Class with the Parker Quartet in APM’s state-of-the-art Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Music Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota. The prize includes a CD recording of the class, as well as airfare and hotel accommodations.

All contestants must be 14 years of age and older and be attending high school or an undergraduate college program.

Learn more on how to enter.

Aaron Pinsky

We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of alum Aaron Pinsky after a battle with brain cancer. Aaron, 25, was a dedicated French Horn player who studied at New England Conservatory’s Prep School in Boston and performed twice in the Massachusetts All State Orchestra. He continued to perform as part of the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra while attending Williams College, where he was also sports editor of the college’s newspaper. After graduation, Aaron worked as a Market Research Consultant for Marketing and Planning Systems in Waltham.

Aaron appeared on From the Top’s 49th show back in 2001 with his wind octet from NEC. On the episode Christopher O’Riley praised Aaron’s commanding ‘radio voice’ and played a clip of Aaron’s radio show “Any Given Wednesday” at Concord-Carlisle High School. Honor Aaron with us today and listen to his performance on our web site (he comes in at about 35 minutes in). We know he was very proud to have performed on From the Top. His wind octet was truly one of the best we’ve heard in our ten years on the air.

Our thoughts are with Aaron’s family and fiancee. You can read more about his life here.

As a high school student in South Bend, Indiana, LaMont Barlow had to make a difficult decision. Would he follow his passion for classical music down a path that would lead to conservatory studies and a career in music? Or would he pursue his interest in science at a liberal arts college and ultimately become a doctor?

He had already accomplished great things musically. He played practically every woodwind instrument, was an award-winning pianist, and at 16 had been featured on From the Top’s radio program while attending Interlochen Arts Camp. But he also excelled academically.

Ultimately, LaMont chose to attend Harvard University, where he graduated with high honors in biochemistry. Though he focused on science, he kept up with music, serving as Associate Principal Bassoon of the New England Philharmonic, performing regularly with other ensembles in the Boston area, and winning a campus-wide concerto competition. Today, LaMont, 26, is completing his studies at Columbia University’s Medical School and continuing to play bassoon and piano as much as he can. Read more about LaMont’s story.

What difficult choices have you made? If you studied music and have chosen a different career path, how have you stay involved in music? What does music mean for you now?

Seattle-based blogger Janet Peltz has done a two installment feature on From the Top alum (radio #165, TV #206 ) Simone Porter and her mother Deborah. Janet has done a nice job of capturing the intense, and sometimes challenging, commitment the two have made to pursue Simone’s passion in music.

Here are the two links: Part 1 and Part 2.

Thank you Janet!

Following our taping at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on January 27, we gathered all the performers for our arts leadership workshop and asked them to reflect on the power of music. Here are some of the stories they shared both from their own personal experiences and from history:

Kara Sainz

“When Renee Fleming sang in New York after the twin towers had fallen….In her book she talks about how she couldn’t cry or get too emotional because when she went to sing, she had to show strength for everyone. She said people see singing as very personal and I’m sure that many people were grateful for her performance in bringing everyone together in those few minutes of song.” — Kara Sainz, 17, soprano

“Last weekend, I organized a benefit concert for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Lots of different people came and I was able to raise $2,432 for the American Red Cross. I was very surprised and happy with the results of my show J.” –Rieko Tsuchida, 15, piano.  Read more about Rieko’s inspiring benefit concert here.

Jonathan Miron

“I visited Cambodia when I was very young and learned about a Swiss doctor who was providing free healthcare to the Cambodian children, victims of past wars. As little as $200 could save a child. Thus, I made it my goal to help as much as possible and played violin on the streets of Aspen raising $500 for the hospital.” — Jonathan Miron, 17, violin

Kenneth Renshaw

“When I was last on From the Top,  I visited a middle school in Lubbock, Texas and performed a short program of music that I initially thought might be demanding for  a middle school audience.  However, when I began to play I was immediately impressed with the effect the music had on them – they remained slient and focused throughout the entire performance (even during Lutoslawski.)  Afteerwards they asked many questions and seemed interested and inspired to continue their own lives in music.” — Kenneth Renshaw, 16, violin

“Rostropovich played Bach at the fall of the Berlin Wall, bringing music into politics and history.” — Will Chow, 16, cello

When have you experienced or witnessed the power of music to make a difference in people’s lives?

Finalists: Coleman Itzkoff, Vince Meklis, Kimberly Hou, & Matt Lipman (Montgomery Advertiser, Lloyd Gallman)

Approximately 70 young string players met in Montgomery, Alabama over the weekend to compete in the Montgomery Symphony’s annual Blount-Slawson Competition for string and percussionists in 7th through 12th grades. For the first time, From the Top’s Music Producer Tom Vignieri was among the panel of 9 judges. Congratulations go out to this year’s winners!

First prize: Matthew Lipman, viola
Seond prize: Kimberly Hou, piano
Third prize: Vince Meklis, violin
Fourth prize: Coleman Itzkoff, cello

Top prize in the competition is $10,000, a chance to perform with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra during its final concert this year, and the opportunity to be featured on From the Top. The remaining finalists also split about $7,000 worth of prize money. Read more.

Rieko Tsuchida with her older sister and fellow From the Top alum Mayumi.

Like many, 15-year-old Bay-area pianist Rieko Tsuchida was deeply saddened by the disaster in Haiti and inspired to take action. With just three days of planning, she and friend Jonah Hopton, turned their musical talents into a means of raising money for the American Red Cross. We are so proud of her efforts.

In her own words, here’s how she did it:

We began contacting various local churches last week and got a call back from the Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church on Wednesday night (luckily for me, that church had just invested in a brand new Steinway B).  With only about three days until our concert was on, tenor Jonah Hopton and I frantically started making flyers and announcing the concert at school, on facebook, through e-mails, phone calls, etc.  I had come up with the idea of the concert, and so I was nervous when I was put in charge of organizing everything!  Jonah and I managed to come up with a great program ranging from Bach and Handel to Chopin and Ravel.

It was a total surprise on the day of the event when over 150 people showed up, crammed into the church sanctuary!  The audience consisted of people from the local senior citizen home, parents who came with their young children after seeing the flyers around town, kids my age, and church members.  One thing they all had in common was their love for music and their willingness to help others in need.

The feedback was so positive and various people came up to us afterwards asking if we could perform at their organizations and venues.  Lots of people from our high school showed up, too, which was so great! Some were friends, but others just came with their families.  I wasn’t expecting that, as 99% of the people at my school don’t listen to classical music, ever.  In total, we raised $2,432 and counting.  Some people were so impressed with the concert that they promised to send more money!  Jonah and I will be sending all our proceeds to Haiti via the American Red Cross Society.

All in all, I would say this concert was even better than planned, especially with only three days to put it together! Thank you again to each of you who came.  This never could have happened without the support of you all.

Rieko will appear on From the Top’s broadcast taping in Santa Barbara tomorrow evening with her piano trio, the Soleil Trio.

Lauren Chipman

Alum Lauren Chipman, who recently returned for an episode of From the Top, will be performing in this Friday’s “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon. Lauren, a violist and member of indie rock band The Rentals, will be working with Christina Aguilera and John Legend during the two-hour performance show. “I’m really looking forward to playing with these artists in addition to helping to bring aid to the people of Haiti,” she says. More than 100 artists have signed on to help raise funds for victims of the earthquake. The show will air commercial-free across ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Learn more about the special.

Nikki Yanofsky

Earlier this month NBC’s Brian Williams interviewed From the Top at Carnegie Hall alum Nikki Yanofsky about her exploding career. Watch the segment now. And we just heard from Germany’s ZDF Television that they will be airing a segment on her too!

Violinist Lindsay Deutsch, 24, is included in this month’s issue of Symphony as one of their emerging artists. Lindsay is soloing with orchestras across the country and has created an audience-building organization called Classics Alive. Read the article online.

Corey Dundee played with Grant Llewellyn and the North Carolina Symphony on their annual New Year’s Eve concert December 31 at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh, NC. He played The Upward Stream by Russell Peck, the same piece he plays on the CD “From the Top at the Pops.”

Sebastian Baverstam

Congratulations to cellist Sebastian Baverstam on winning the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition in October.

We were thrilled to receive a note from oboist Alison Chung:

“This is Alison Chung and I was on your show over eight years ago in Boston.  I’m still playing the oboe and am now in the New World Symphony in Miami after finishing up my Masters degree two years ago.  Sad to say, I am still without a driver’s license.  I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without taking the test again but it hasn’t been too much of a problem, thanks to friends and family who have given me rides for the past ten years since I took driver’s ed.  I didn’t think it was possible but I won my first job before I got my license.  I recently won the Principal Oboe position in the Grant Park Festival in my hometown of Chicago.  (Maybe before the season starts, I’ll try to get my license.)

It’s been great seeing these alumni spotlights, two have been of old friends from high school.

Happy Tenth Anniversary!!

Best,
Alison Chung

Priscella Chan was recently named a Winner in the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) YoungArtist program. She writes:

I get to go on an all-expense-paid trip to Miami, Florida, to attend YoungArts Week, where I will participate in master classes, perform at concerts, play in chamber ensembles, and receive scholarships ranging from $1000 to $10,000!  I’m also eligible to receive the White House designation of Presidential Scholar in the Arts.  I am so thrilled about this opportunity that will undoubtedly further my growth as a pianist!

Bassist Nicky Schwartz recently performed live at WFMT in Chicago as part of the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series.

Thomas Steigerwald

Thomas Steigerwald won the South Central Regional Division of the Music Teachers National Association’s Senior Piano Competition held in Shreveport, LA. He will compete with the other six division winners on March 21 at the MTNA National Competition in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

To all our alumni, we love hearing from you! Send us your news at enewsletter@fromthetop.org.

Yuki with Representative Thomas Stanley of Lexington, and Representative Gloria Fox of Boston at the State House in Boston

We were honored to receive citations today from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate in honor of From the Top’s tenth anniversary.

From the Top alum Yuki Beppu, 12, of Lexington, Massachusetts played Bach and Paganini in the Grand Staircase filling the State House with beautiful music during the lunchtime hour. Yuki also received the citations from Representative Gloria Fox on behalf of From the Top.

On January 3, 2010 From the Top taped a special program dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, MA. Here is what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show, which airs this week.

Boston Children’s Chorus
Kasar mie la gaji (The Earth is Tired) by Alberto Grau
There’s one part that a lot of us like where we “wail,” which corresponds with the words “The Earth is tired.” Once we sang this song and got so carried away with the emotions and sung so quickly, we actually felt like we were about to collapse, exhausted like the earth.

MLK by U2, Arr. by Bob Chilcott
This seemingly simple song turns out to be really profound and moving for us. Much of the song includes held out notes. This simple, peaceful aspect of the song unifies us all. We all also like the sudden and simple dynamic changes in this song. We think its profound and gentle yet powerful nature reflects Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership style of nonviolent action.

Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra String Quartet
III. Allegro vivace from Quartet No. 1 (Calvary) by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

Sasha Scolnnik-Brower, 15, cello
It has a very interesting style. It is tonal yet not always comfortable to listen to, but very elegant. I think that the level of energy the music emotes is key to the understanding and enjoyability of the piece.

Alexandra Morgan-Welch, 17, viola
This piece is much more rhythmically complex than others in my repertoire. Although it is the hardest aspect of this piece, it is also the most fun and interesting.

I think that it is very rare that we get to play a piece by an African-American composer. There is an amazing history behind African-American classical composers’ struggle to get their music heard, played, and respected and appreciated. I think this performance is a great way to honor that.

Chaz Salazar, 17, flute
Summerland by William Grant Still
The piece isn’t difficult in the technical sense, but to achieve the exact colors and to communicate the overall message of the piece is the difficult part. The piece is very lyrical and conveys the idea of summer really well. My favorite part of the piece is near the end where it goes to the third octave of the flute. It gives me chills.

Alice with Shia LaBeouf on the set of "Wall Street 2"

Our music producer Tom Vignieri just heard that From the Top alum Alice Burla will be appearing in the film “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps”, the sequel to “Wall Street”.  Oliver Stone has got the gang back together (Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, etc) along with the likes of Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella, etc, etc, and Alice appears as “Isabel Patrovsky, a 13-year-old piano prodigy.” She told Tom that she even had her own trailer for a day! Check out the photo with her and heartthrob Shia LaBeouf (right). The film is due out in April and Alice plays the Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in A minor.

From the Top visits East Palo Alto Boys & Girls Club

The day after our taping at Stanford University’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium, From the Top had the opportunity to visit the Boys & Girls Club of East Palo Alto for a special family performance. 16-yr-old cellist Nathan Chan, 16-yr-old pianist Jade Huang and 13-yr-old violinist Stephen Waarts , all performers on the show, were joined by local alum, 13-yr-old pianist Hilda Huang, to play for an intimate audience of parents and kids.

Because of the small audience size, two young boys had a very special experience.  James and Myles sat in the front row for the entire performance with wide eyes, asking great questions and sharing their reactions to the music.

James was one of the first audience members to arrive, and he got a special treat when the performers, who were all fooling around on the piano playing “Heart and Soul” invited him up to join them. Nathan started teaching him a simple left hand part while the others took turns playing the melody. After a couple rounds, James, who didn’t play the piano at all, was really starting to get it!

Playing "Heart & Soul" with James

During the program, each musician played some of their favorite pieces, shared their thoughts on the music and answered questions from the audience. Nathan got things started with the beautiful Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No.3, then he shook things up a bit with the rock and jazz influenced “Julie-O”, which he had performed the night before. The kids were amazed by the way he used the cello as a guitar and a percussion instrument.

Hilda was next, and of course, we had to talk to her about her favorite composer, J.S. Bach. Hilda played a favorite Prelude and Fugue and gave a great explanation of the term fugue. She had the kids imagine four people running along with the same tune: sometimes they’re running next to each other, sometimes they’re crisscrossing and sometimes they crash into each other. Hilda also performed a Ligeti Etude, which one little boy said reminded him of a Tom and Jerry chase scene. Hilda agreed!

Stephen played an excerpt from the Brahms Violin Concerto before dazzling the audience with Waxman’s fiery Carmen Fantasie. He shared his thoughts on  music as a language without words and how each person can create his or her own story in response. The kids in the audience imagined several colorful stories for the Carmen Fantasie after his powerful performance.

Next up was Jade, who played etudes by two different composers, explaining to the audience that these are essentially exercises for pianists. Jade began with Chopin’s Etude Op. 10 No. 1, which she described as the equivalent of push-ups for the right hand. Watching her right hand run up and down the keyboard at break-neck speed throughout the entire piece had the audience nodding in agreement. Jade brought the program to a close with the two Prokofiev Etudes she performed the night before, explaining that the second one was a great “anger management tool.”

The whole event ended just as it had begun: with the From the Top musicians showing the kids in the audience their instruments and getting them involved. James and Nathan became fast friends when they bonded over a shared love of Mettalica: Nathan quickly pulled out his cello and started jamming on “Unforgiven” and some other classic hits while James stood watching with a huge grin. Meanwhile Hilda was showing another little girl how to play some simple tunes on the piano. At the end, all of the performers were excitedly talking about a return visit and the different chamber music they could play. This could be the start of a beautiful collaboration.

This week’s broadcast was taped November 13, 2009 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, TX. Learn more about what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show:

Sahun Hong

Sahun Hong, 15, piano
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A minor by Franz Liszt

Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 shows a great variety of colors, textures, tempos, rhythms. What stays is the overall “gypsy feeling.” This piece needs panache.

Jenny Jiyeon Lee, 15, violin
Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16 by Henri Wieniawski

When I play this piece, I imagine a person getting chased by a gross insect and finally crushing the bug at the end of the piece. This piece can express a lot of your technical abilities and your own musicality.

Isabella Markham, 14, viola
I. Allegro Moderato from Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor by Franz Schubert

This piece is unique to the other pieces I have played, because it has such a range of emotions. There are feelings of love, hope, and optimism, then you feel sadness and conflict. It is challenging to portray these feelings in one piece of music.

John-Henry Crawford, 16, cello
III. Allegro commodo from Sonata No. 2 by Bohuslav Martinu

It’s very jazzy. It’s got a dance-like rhythm to it. I think my favorite part is the cadenza, because you get to let loose. Everything up until then is a huge build up and then you get an open “C” string and that’s where the craziness starts.

Percussion Scholarhip Group
Marimba Spiritual by Minoru Miki

Andre Battles, Jr.
What’s unique about this piece is that you get the freedom of moving and around and yelling. My favorite part is the end, because that is when all of the energy and emotions are all let loose.

Shuya Gong
I love this piece of music. It’s joke during rehearsals that we’re going to engage in aerobics every time we play, and that the percussion aerobics is going to be the next big thing. This piece has a lot of components to it that include more than just playing music alone. In reality, it’s a choreographed dance–sort of like a tribal fertility dance, and at the same time, you need to concentrate on playing the music right.

Eric Goldberg
This piece is the most physical and the most intense piece I have ever played. And because of this, we have sometimes gotten a bit accidentally destructive. We break sticks left and right. When you play a piece that is emotionally and physically intense, be careful.

The Percussion Scholarship Group

Joshua Jones
My favorite part of this piece is its intensity. The strong accents, high jumps, and loud screams create an image of a very violent ritual of some sort. My least favorite thing about this piece is its broken stick record. I’ve broken at least two mallets while rehearsing this piece.

Lucia León
I remember the first time we rehearsed this piece with all the movement. It took us a while to get over the yelling section without laughing. At first everyone felt a little self-conscience but after all the rehearsals, everyone put their own personality into it. My favorite part is the end when everyone goes crazy and my hair is flying everywhere. The first time I did that, I had a sore neck the next day.

John Ringor
When I perform, I try to get the audience to see the rawness and wildness and intensity of the music by jumping and performing exaggerated actions. My favorite part of the piece is the very end where everyone goes insane and is jumping all over the place, because I get to just let loose! Unfortunately, because the piece is so wild, I’ve broken six pairs of sticks.

Marcelina Suchoka
I always think of a story when I’m playing music. I envision ancient warriors battling on fields, on mountains, in water. It’s a story of skilled assassins trying to outsmart each other, but no one loses at the end.

Zuri Wells
The movement [of the piece] is the most unique part. The interaction is different, too. We, as percussionists and artists, have to portray to the audience that there’s an argument going on, and our words are spoken through music.

In case you missed it, last night From the Top alum Gabriel Cabezas performed with Yo Yo Ma on the Tavis Smiley Show. Check out their performance here.

Caroline Goulding and Christopher O'Riley at a sound check for the CD release party at (Le) Poisson Rouge in Septmber 2009

Last night, among the Grammy nominations announced was a nod to From the Top alum, 17-year-old violinist Caroline Goulding for her self-titled debut album, recorded with our host Christopher O’Riley. The album is a collection of works by American composers, composers writing in this country and pieces inspired by uniquely American idioms, as well as a Cape Breton set which features Caroline with pianist Janine Randall. Caroline and Chris played a few favorites from the album at an event co-sponsored by From the Top and Telarc Records this September at New York’s (Le) Poisson Rouge, including Kreisler’s “La Gitana.” Caroline and Chris also appear on From the Top at the Pops performing the third movement from Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings in D minor with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under the direction of the late Erich Kunzel.

At From the Top, we are thrilled to see the success of a young artist who in a way as grown up with us. Caroline first appeared on From the Top when she was just 13 years old, and has subsequently appeared on several other radio broadcasts as well as on our PBS television show. In August, we spoke with Caroline about heading to college at the same time that she’s released her first recording.

Three cheers for Caroline and her collaborator Chris!

Caroline Goulding with Christopher O'Riley on the recording "From the Top at the Pops"

To all our alums, keep sending us your news, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Congratulations to violinist Caroline Goulding (TV#103, Radio #s 189, 164, 142) and pianist Charlie Albright (Show #66) on becoming First Prize Winners of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York this weekend.

An upcoming performance by the Bucks County Symphony at Central Bucks High School in Pennsylvania will feature two From the Top alums: Bihn Park (Show #198) and Carol Jantsch (Show #75). Carol is now a principal tuba player with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Read more.

Pianist George Li (TV #104 & Radio #144) recently performed the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Albany Symphony Orchestra.

Sage Po (Show #199) recently performed a solo benefit concert in support of Hospitality House, Nevada County’s (CA) community shelter for the homeless. The concert also announced the release of Sage’s classical harp CD “Shimmering Strings.” During the first weekend in December, Sage will be accompanying the El Paso Young Ladies Choir in 2 performances of Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” and also a solo set at their holiday concert that Sunday. Sage met the choir while performing on From the Top in June in El Paso.

Tessa Seymour

Tessa Seymour (TV #102 & 209) recently competed in the Rostropovitch Competition in Paris.

Thomas Steigerwald (Show #185 ) recently won the Senior Piano Performance Competition of the Texas Music Teachers National Association held at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He will represent Texas at the US South Central Division competition to be held January 10 at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Division winners advance to the national competition held in March at the MTNA national convention.

Cellist Jonah Ellsworth (TV # 206, Radio #s 144, 175, 179 ) will perform as a soloist with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra on November 29 in Cambridge, MA. He was chosen through the orchestra’s second annual concerto competition.

Hally Davidson and Bryan Anderson at Henderson Middle School

In early November, From the Top provided two Atlanta middle schools with an interactive demonstration before taping a From the Top broadcast at Emory University’s Schwartz Center. We brought Hally Davidson, 15, flute, from McDonough, GA and Bryan Anderson, 16, piano, from Stockbridge, GA,  members of the flute and piano duo “Music Two Share”, to play for students at Shamrock Middle School and Henderson Middle School, through the Emory Coca-Cola Artists-in-Residence Program.

Hally and Bryan performed the final movement from Widor’s Suite for Flute and Piano, Op.34, which they also perform on our upcoming broadcast.

After an electrifying performance, the students eagerly shared what they imagined while the two were playing.

“It was fun to see them really get into describing the pieces and the pictures in their heads. They gave [the] Widor so many great titles, it was hilarious—from a cat and mouse game to a boat sinking at sea!” Hally said.

A serious Tolkien fan, Hally explained that the music reminds her of a scene from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Then, Hally and Bryan each played a solo piece and talked about the challenges and benefits of their instruments. In fact, Hally’s favorite thing about the flute– which is that in playing the flute you only have to read one line of  music — was exactly what pushed Bryan from the flute to the piano. Bryan explained to the students that he also plays the organ, and on that instrument, it’s like having 20 flutes under your fingers!

After sharing some of their favorite classical pieces, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” and a Chopin Etude, Hally and Bryan played a ‘mystery’ piece, which was quickly identified as the theme from Lord of the Rings by the excited audience. They followed that with the theme from Pink Panther, which was a definite hit.

Hally later commented, “I really liked sharing music at the schools…The students’ excited responses taught me how important finding a ‘common ground’ with your audience can be in building bridges with music.”

This week’s episode of From the Top was taped on October 9, 2009 at the Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City with Utah Chamber Artists and KBYU-FM. Here’s what the performers had to say about the music they played on the show:

Jossalyn Jensen

Jossalyn Jensen, 17, viola
Rhapsody by Tibor Serly
This piece is filled with Hungarian folk music from beginning to end. The rhythms in the opening are reminiscent of the strong rhythms of the Hungarian language. When I play this piece, there are parts where I can envision colorfully dressed Hungarian folk dancers dancing at a festival or a Hungarian violinist entertaining at a little Budapest cafe.

Weiyi Le, 15, piano
II. Chez Petrouchka from Three Movements from Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky
Having seen the ballet of the piece, the image of an over-energized puppet dancing will always be on my mind as I perform this piece. My favorite section of the song is right after the introduction section, where the capricious mood of the music is best portrayed. Unlike most pieces I’ve learned, Petroushka is highly unpredictable.

John Ringor

John Ringor, 15, marimba
Virginia Tate by Paul Smadbeck
This piece special to me, because it was the very first solo I played with four mallets. But what I really admire about the piece are the different feelings—happiness, suspense, sadness, warmth—it invokes. When I play Virginia Tate I hope to trigger such emotions within the audience.

Gifted Music School Orchestra, ages 9-18
Violin Concerto in G Minor, Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315, “Summer” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
This piece is full of imagery including a torrential summer rain storm, lightning bolts, and an incessant driving pulse and rhythm.