From the Top

Sunday, 3 to 4 pm

NPR's From the Top showcases the music, stories, and unique humor of America's best young classical musicians, in which they demonstrate their prodigious ability and reveal details of their non-musical lives, from sibling secrets to favorite foods.

From the Top has big news!
A new permanent host has been selected—meet Peter Dugan! He grew up in Upper Darby, went to St Joe's Prep here in Philly and then studied at Juilliard in NYC where he lives now. Listen to the fabulously entertaining show on WRTI every Sunday from 3 to 4 PM.

From picturesque Longwood Gardens outside Philadelphia in September 2018, From the Top featured an exciting array of young talent – including a young violinist who got her start in the El Sistema-inspired music program, Play-On Philly, a violin and guitar duo performs a dramatic tango, and a young cellist who once performed at a Chicago Bulls game. Three of these musicians are from our region!  Listen here

Listen to podcasts of recent episodes

Watch and Listen: Steinway Junior Piano Competition 2019 Regional Winners, Live from WRTI

By • Jul 5, 2019
Courtesy of the artist

Listen to part two of our special live performances by regional winners of the second annual Steinway Junior Piano Competition.

Live From The WRTI Performance Studio: Kwaya Marimba Introduces a Bit of Zimbabwean Marimba Mania!

By • Apr 4, 2019
Kwaya Marimba

This Land Is Our Land: Young Immigrant Musicians Reinvent A Classic

By • Jul 7, 2017

What role does music play in our national dialogue about immigration? Six young musicians, rooted in six different countries, gathered at Ellis Island, and in Manhattan, to explore that question in a new composition inspired by Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land."

Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley: Tiny Desk Concert

By • Mar 14, 2015

Whether it's warranted or not, classical music wonks are perennially worried about the next generation of fans.

It seems there's less need to fret when you hear cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O'Riley. Some 15 years ago, they were already chipping away at the barriers — both real and perceived — between classical and pop.

From Philadelphia to The Top!

By Meridee Duddleston • Nov 10, 2014

The nationally syndicated public radio program From the Top features gifted young classical musicians from all over the country. They’re always super talented - and often very amusing as they chat with host Christopher O'Riley - which all adds up to great radio. More than 250 public radio stations broadcast the show.

Carnegie Hall's Barnstorming Youth Movement

By editor • Jul 17, 2013

This is the kind of opportunity most classical musicians can only dream about: to be invited to spend part of the summer with an orchestra touring the world — Washington, Moscow, St. Petersburg and London — with two of the biggest names in classical music, conductor Valery Gergiev and violinist Joshua Bell.

Bach, Beatboxed

By editor • Dec 3, 2012

Highlights Show on From the Top: Sunday, July 15 at 2 pm

By WRTI Staff • Jul 10, 2012

Gunther Schuller, the great American composer, conductor, author, music educator, jazz innovator, and French horn player, is the special guest artist on From the Top this week.