TACOMA, Wash. – From the Top, the showcase for young musicians heard weekly on Northwest Public Radio comes to Tacoma’s Rialto Theatre at Broadway Center for the Performing Arts to tape a radio broadcast at 7:30 p.m. April 24.
The popular NPR program, hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley will feature the amazing performances and captivating personal stories of extraordinary young classical musicians from across the country. This episode will be presented by Broadway Center and Northwest Public Radio.
The show will feature two performers from the Pacific Northwest. One is 18-year-old violinist Sophia Stoyanovich from Bainbridge Island, Washington. Sophia is concertmaster of the Seattle Youth Symphony and has soloed with the Seattle Symphony. Also performing will be 16-year-old violist Maia Hoffman from Portland, Oregon, who is a recipient of From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.
Other performers include 15-year-old pianist Derek Wang from Needham, Massachusetts; 17-year-old soprano Kresley Figueroa from Flagstaff, Arizona; and 15-year-old cellist Jeremy Tai from Cupertino, California. For the finale, Jeremy will be joined by the rest of the members of the Konpeito Cello Quartet from the San Francisco Conservatory: 17-year-old Irene Jeong, 16-year-old Catherine Kim, and 17-year-old Minku Lee.
Tickets and information are at nwpr.org. From the Top is heard on Northwest Public Radio’s NPR and Classical Music service (heard in Tacoma/Seattle on 90.9 FM) on Sundays at noon; this episode will air nationally the week of June 2.
This show is sponsored by the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Ted Brown Music, and South Sound magazine.
What began as a radio experiment in 2000 quickly became one of the fastest growing and most popular weekly classical music programs on public radio. Broadcast on nearly 250 stations nationwide to an audience of nearly 700,000 listeners, From the Top has been described by the Boston Globe as, “an entertaining, accessible, and inspirational mix of outstanding musical performances, informal interviews, skits, and games, the show is a celebration of extraordinary musicians who happen to be teenagers leading fairly normal lives.”
Annually, From the Top’s live tapings reach more than 20,000 live audience members of all ages across the United States. In conjunction with its national tour, through From the Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders, the Boston-based non-profit offers leadership training to young artists and conducts classroom and community programs leveraging the power of its performers as role models for younger students. In addition, From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation award $10,000 scholarships to high-achieving musicians with limited financial means. The program has invested more than $1.6 million in support for pre-college students since 2005. From the Top launched its Emmy Award winning PBS television series From the Top at Carnegie Hall in 2007.
From the Top is an independent non-profit organization headquartered in Boston that celebrates the power of music in the hands of extraordinary young people: unleashing the potential of young musicians as leaders in the arts; trumpeting the role of music to impact and enrich lives; and inspiring and building new audiences with a deeper appreciation for classical music.
From the Top’s radio program is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and corporate underwriting from U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and institutions as well as public radio stations. From the Top’s founding partners are New England Conservatory and WGBH. Learn more at www.fromthetop.org.
About Northwest Public Radio
Northwest Public Radio is a listener-supported public radio service heard in the Tacoma/Seattle area on 90.9 FM, on 19 stations across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and southern British Columbia, and online at www.nwpr.org. Northwest Public Radio is dedicated to enriching our valued community by sharing distinctive programs which engage, enlighten, and entertain. Northwest Public Radio is a community service of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University.
Contact:
Kerry Swanson, Station Manager, 509-335-6512, kerry_swanson@wsu.edu
Robin Allen LaPlante, From the Top, 617-437-0707 ext. 103, rlaplante@fromthetop.org
