From the Top, Part I

Just before the world turned upside down we had the amazing opportunity to co-host two episodes of NPR's From the Top, featuring performances and interviews with outstanding young musicians from around the country. One of the two shows began broadcasting this past week and is archived here.

Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe, the two pianists that make up the piano duo Anderson and Roe, host this week’s From the Top, the first of two From the Top programs recorded in Fairfax, Virginia. Both Greg and Liz collaborate with the young musicians on the program. They introduce us to a precocious 10-year-old violinist and an unusual teenage cellist who loves dog-sledding and hunting deer for his own food.

We were honored to host the show given our long history with the program, the sponsoring foundation, and our overlapping missions, but nothing could have prepared us for what a meaningful experience it would turn out to be. We loved getting to know the young musicians; their artistry and enthusiasm elevated our hopes for the future of classical music. Each of their stories and performances were uniquely inspiring and we were grateful to have so many opportunities to interact with them over the course of this project.

In the week preceding the live taping, we joined the young musicians in community engagement sessions at Edgar Allan Poe Middle School in Annandale, VA. We especially enjoyed observing the middle schoolers’ genuine excitement and enthusiasm. They were clearly inspired!

To celebrate the episode’s release, we capped off our From the Top hosting experience with a Facebook LiveChat with the young musicians, discussing everything from life on the stage to life in isolation.