From The Top

This week, gifted young musicians perform compositions by an America original — William Bolcom, who joins them in a concert of his music. A 17-year-old violinist plays the "Graceful Ghost" rag, a 14-year-old soprano enlivens a cabaret song, and a teen string quartet performs music Bolcom wrote at age 12.

From the Allen Theater at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, home grown and international kids from age nine to 17 dig into the classics, producing impressive performances of works by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Barrios and more.

This week's From the Top comes from the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, where an 11-year-old violinist from Seattle plays introspective music by Ernest Bloch, a 17-year-old Chinese-born percussionist delivers a sparkling marimba solo, and a passionate 18-year-old pianist from Berkeley, California, plays Schumann. This program originally aired November 14, 2007.

From Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, a home-grown clarinetist plays some humorous Francaix, a trio of pre-teens plays Beethoven, and a tiny Texan with a big violin sound plays Kreisler.

This week, a look back to some excellent music-making from past shows, where a 13-year-old violinist with an affinity for engineering plays Kreisler and four top trombonists slide into an ear-catching contemporary work This show originally aired on October 17, 2007

From the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado, a gifted flutist embraces a Swiss ballade, a 16-year-old violinist tosses off a devilish sonata and a 14-year-old pianist tackles Liszt's Mephisto Waltz.

From the Virginia Arts Festival in Newport News, Virginia, a 17-year-old baritone sings Handel, a 15-year-old cellist plays Mendelssohn, and a teenage saxophone quartet from Chicago plays…with vigor. This program originally aired on June 18, 2008

From the International Institute for Young Musicians in Lawrence, Kan., it's an all piano program featuring kids from ages 12 to 16, playing Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Chopin.

From New Albany, Ohio, an 18-year-old pianist tackles Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata, a teenage violinist from Boston plays Wieniawski, and an 18-year-old soprano, who is brave enough to admit when her parents are right, sings a song for spring. This program originally aired on May 28, 2008

From the Top travels to the Heifetz International Music Institute, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire, where a quartet of string players tackles a Schumann classic, and a speed reading 16-year-old violinist plays Bazzini's virtuosic Round of the Goblins.

This week From the Top highlights five remarkable young chamber music groups from past programs. In this "uncommon combos" show, six bassoons play a lively march, three percussionists share one marimba in careful choreography, and an ensemble of teenage string players performs a serenade by a gifted 18-year-old composer.

This week, seven classical teens take the stage at Reed College's Kaul Auditorium in Portland, Oregon, where a 15-year-old harpist plays Carnival of Venice variations, an athletic young violinist offers up music by Beethoven, and a self-proclaimed moody pianist pours her heart into dances by Bach.

In the Fifth Annual "Where Are They Now?" Highlights Program, From the Top catches up with a few of the brightest stars from past shows. Focusing on four young musicians who have risen to professional status, host Christopher O'Riley revisits their past radio performances and interviews them about their more recent musical adventures. This program originally aired on June 4, 2008

This week, From the Top is in Berkeley, California, where a 12-year-old pianist joyfully wraps her brain and fingers around a Bach fugue, a hockey-playing bassoonist performs Weber and a teen quartet offers up a new work by a local 17-year-old.