From the Top
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In 1995, shortly after New England Conservatory had undergone an extensive renovation of Jordan Hall, the Board of Trustees and staff were charged to bring more people to more events in this remarkable concert venue.
Soon after, standing on a street corner, Gerald Slavet, a trustee at NEC, and Jennifer Hurley-Wales, at the time the Acting Director of External Affairs, had one of those magical moments you see in movies. Jennifer said, "We should do an old-fashioned radio show in Jordan Hall." Jerry said, "Great idea, but it should focus on kids!"
Today, From the Top is a non-profit organization that encourages and celebrates the commitment of young people to music and the arts. Best known for its nationally syndicated radio program, From the Top provides a platform for young artists to present themselves, share their passion, and develop into important cultural leaders through a variety of media platforms.
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On radio, From the Top is a weekly, hour-long radio showcase of America's top young classical musicians hosted by acclaimed pianist and NEC alumnus Christopher O’Riley '81 A.D (in photo). Distributed by NPR, and heard on approximately 250 stations across the country by 750,000 listeners each week, From the Top ranks among the top 5 weekly programs on radio along with long-term notables "Car Talk" and "A Prairie Home Companion."
The Boston Globe has described From the Top as “an entertaining, accessible and often inspirational mix of outstanding musical performances, informal interviews, skits and games. It is an unpretentious mix of the ridiculous and the sublime; a celebration of extraordinary musicians who happen to be teenagers leading fairly normal lives.”
The Minneapolis Star Tribune declared the program “By turns fresh, fun and profound, the show is as accessible as it is enlightening, and for that reason could turn out to be the best thing to happen to classical music since Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts!”
NBC-TV’s “Today” national correspondent Jamie Gangel said, “You don’t have to be a classical music fan to love this show. From the Top’s signature is not taking itself too seriously. While the musical performances are exquisite, there’s nothing snobby about the show. The program is punctuated with offbeat interviews and campy skits, but in the end, From the Top is all about the music. It’s what I call classy reality programming.”
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Each one-hour program is recorded in a live concert either at its home, NEC’s Jordan Hall, or from around the country in such places and venues as the Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s Davies Hall, or communities from Honolulu to Rockport, Maine. The show features performances by soloists or ensembles ages 9-18 who are selected from a nationwide talent search, combined with lively interviews, unique pre-produced features, and radio theatre sketches. Responding to O'Riley's engaging and often whimsical manner, the guests share their passion for and knowledge of the genre, and reveal much about their non-musical lives, from career goals and siblings to favorite breakfast foods and pets.
Special guest artists, who have included Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Mark O’Connor, Richard Stoltzman, Dawn Upshaw, Edgar Meyer, Eileen Ivers, and Judy Collins often play with the young musicians and share their experiences in music.
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TELEVISION: WGBH in Boston and Carnegie Hall have partnered with From the Top to produce a national 13-part special television series for PBS scheduled for production in 2006, with an air date set for early 2007. From the Top has also produced three PSAs that promote “Music is powerful stuff” and brand the organization as the “Young Musicians Network.”
INTERNET: Fromthetop.org has become a unique on-line community for young musicians, their parents, teachers and the public at large. The Web site archives and disseminates the radio shows, educational material, interviews, and games centered on music.
AMPLIFY: From the Top’s education programs utilize the power of peer role modeling to bring music and the arts into the lives of all children, including those with the fewest resources. Amplify! initiatives encourage young people to engage more deeply with the arts and to develop the passion, discipline, and focus they need to achieve their goals. Current Amplify programs include:
- Cultural Leadership: The Cultural Leadership Program trains From the Top's performers to return to their communities as advocates for the arts, sharing their words, music, talent, and vision through in-school programs, community arts events, and visits to government officials, as well as local civic, corporate and cultural leaders.
- “Make Your Own Radio Show”: This in-school residency program, in partnership with Young Audiences, harnesses the power of young performers and master teaching artists to engage students in the creative process as they produce their own radio show.
- McGraw-Hill partnership: Over 50 From the Top performers are featured in 1.2 million new texts used in music classrooms for grades 2-12, reaching 30 million students nationwide over the next 5 years.
- The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has teamed up with From the Top to identify and award 25 deserving young musicians Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Awards in support of furthering their musical education. These young classical musicians between the ages of 8-18 have high levels of artistic achievement; demonstrated financial need; and a solid academic record.
From the Top is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and foundations as well as radio stations around the country.
From the Top radio program is produced in association with WGBH Radio Boston and New England Conservatory, its home and education partner. NPR distributes From the Top.