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Classicool Kids podcast (Classical)

  • Host: Christopher O'Riley
  • Classicool Kids is the weekly podcast edition of show highlights from NPR's showcase for the best young classical musicians in the country.
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Last updated 313 days ago Update program info

[UPDATE] Behind the Curtain-Matthew Woodard

Mon, Sep 8 Listen
This week, Producer Tom Voegeli, Radio Producer Tim Banker, and Music Producer Tom Vignieri come together for a very dynamic look at 13 year-old composer Matthew Woodard.

Behind the Curtain - Matthew Woodard

Sun, Aug 24 Listen
In this week's "Behind the Curtain" podcast, Producer Tom Voegeli, Music Producer Tom Vignieri, and Radio Producer Tim Banker talk about 13-year-old composer Matthew Woodard's appearance on the radio show.

Behind the Curtain - Compass String Quartet

Tue, Aug 19 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Scholarship Program Manager Lisa Utzinger talks about a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist.

Andrea Carroll, Age 18, Soprano

Mon, Aug 11 Listen
Music is at the heart of soprano Andrea Carroll's life. "It has always been my outlet," she explains. "When I'm singing there's nothing else." In addition to singing solo works, Andrea sings in three choirs, a beauty-shop quartet, and a co-ed acapella group. Last summer, she attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, which was one of the best musical experiences of her life. "I learned so much," she says. "I didn't want to leave!" A dancer as well, Andrea has taken lessons in tap,...

Behind the Curtain - Alena Merimee, Age 15, violin

Mon, Aug 4 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Radio Co-Producer Tim Banker shares a part of this week's show that did not make it into the radio broadcast because of time reasons. Listen and discover another way that 15-year-old violinist Alena Merimee shares her music.

Behind the Curtain - Kaori Matsui

Mon, Jul 28 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Music Producer Tom Vignieri recalls violinist Kaori Matsui's audition at the Interlochen Summer Music Camp, and reveals why sometimes the second time is a charm.

Ibanda Ruhumbika, Age 17, Tuba

Mon, Jul 21 Listen
Tuba players have to wait so long for the parts sometimes, that it's no wonder Ibanda Ruhumbika goofs off during band rehearsal. "I'll realize I don't have to play something for 100 measures, and it's kind of hard just waiting around doing nothing," he says. Ibanda has spent the lag time reading, listening to music, playing pranks his fellow tubists, or just falling asleep. Once, during rehearsal, when Ibanda realized he had about seven minutes before his part came in, he ran out and bought...

Behind the Curtain - Patrick McGuire

Mon, Jul 14 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Radio Co-Producer Tim Banker talks about 17-year-old cellist Patrick McGuire, and a part of his story that didn't make the 59-minute radio cut.

Behind the Curtain - Werner Cello Quartet

Mon, Jul 7 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Music Producer Tom Vignieri talks about finding talent in Montana, and the musical collaboration between four local sibling cellists.

Behind the Curtain - Cerberus Trio

Mon, Jun 30 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Radio Co-Producer Tim Banker talks about capturing the warmth between two siblings in a piano trio, and what it took to bring you a skit that levitated a cow on stage and on air.

Behind the Curtain Podcast - Danny Walden, Age 18, Piano

Sun, Jun 22 Listen
Introducing a new series in From the Top's audio podcast: "Behind the Curtain" - an inside look at what it takes to deliver the inspirational performances and the personal stories of America's best young classical musicians. This week, Music Producer Tom Vignieri recalls his first meeting with Berkeley pianist Danny Walden at an Aspen audition and reveals how a last minute illness brought Danny to the Ravinia Festival to perform Schumann.

Brendon Elliot, Age 13, Violin

Mon, Jun 16 Listen
It's amazing that 13-year-old violinist Brendon Elliott looks so strong and healthy as he eats no fruits or vegetables whatsoever. "I refuse to eat them," he states. "I find fruits and vegetables absolutely disgusting. I will eat corn on occasion — but technically that's more of a starch." Brendon's mom started teaching him how to play violin when he was three years old. "She wanted all of her children to develop the same love and passion for music that she herself has enjoyed since she was a...

Jennie Brent, Age 15, Cello

Mon, Jun 16 Listen
Jennie Brent may look exceptionally graceful playing cello, but once she exits the stage, watch out! "I fall down the stairs at least two or three times a week," she admits. "I'm one of the clumsiest people you'll ever meet." Lest you think she is completely uncoordinated, Jennie happens to be an excellent dancer, having studied ballet for eleven years. "Still," she says, "I'd always exit the stage after dancing and fall right down the stairs." One of the hardest decisions Jennie has ever had...

Elliot Hines, Age 17, Baritone

Mon, Jun 16 Listen
Congratulations to Elliott Hines, recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Elliott will receive an award of $10,000 to help him continue his music studies and assist him with music-related needs. Baritone Elliott Hines recalls one of the most upsetting days of his life. "I was in the seventh grade, and I had just learned that I didn't get any of my top elective choices and would be stuck taking choir," he recalls. "I was devastated." To cheer up her son, Elliott's mom took him out...

Elena Urioste, violin

Wed, Jun 4 Listen
Violinist Elena Urioste is a rising concert star who plays concertos with major American orchestras. Now 22-years-old, she is a graduate of Curtis Institute of Music. The following profile was written at the time of her appearance on From the Top's radio show: If you've ever been among a group of young musicians and happened to notice a female violinist quietly muttering to a banana, you may have met Elena Urioste. She's quick to say she doesn't do so anymore, but when she was younger, Elena...

Matthew Muckey, trumpet

Wed, Jun 4 Listen
At the age of 21, Matthew Muckey became Associate Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. The following profile was written five years ago at the time of his appearance on From the Top's radio show: Not many musicians get to play The Carnival of Venice in the actual city of Venice, but trumpet player Matthew Muckey did just that — aboard a gondola, while crowds of people gathered along the waterway to watch and listen. "I performed with two other trumpet players as a trio," says...

Nicholas King, Age 18, Piano

Sun, May 25 Listen
Congratulations to Nicholas King, recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Nicholas will receive an award of $10,000 to help him continue his music studies and assist him with music-related needs. If it weren't for a random turn of events, Nicholas King may have turned out to be a video game champ rather than an accomplished young pianist. Back when he was three, Nick's dad was on his way to buy him a Nintendo set when he somehow got lost. "As he was driving around searching for...

Quidi Zhang, Age 17, Clarinet

Mon, Apr 28 Listen
Congratulations to Qiudi Zhang, recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Qiudi will receive an award of $10,000 to help her continue her music studies and assist her with music-related needs.= When Qiudi Zhang first moved to the U.S. from China, she noticed that many of the kids in her elementary school played instruments so she wanted to play one too. Qiudi asked her grandma, who used to work at an instrument shop, to suggest an instrument for her, and her grandma suggested...

Rebekah Camm, Pamina, and the three teenage spirits

Mon, Apr 28 Listen
Performed by: Pamina: Rebekah Camm, soprano (third-year artist with the Houston Grand Opera Studio) 1st spirit: Elizabeth Kaufman, soprano, age 18 from Houston, TX (member of the Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio) 2nd spirit: Joan Scheirman, soprano, age 15 from Houston, TX (member of the Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio) 3rd spirit: Emily Townsend, soprano, age 17 from Friendswood, TX (member of the Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio) — Guest Artist Rebekah...

The combined forces in the final two scenes of Hansel and Gretel

Mon, Apr 28 Listen
The grand finale of From the Top's radio show #176 featured an amazing array of talent. All of the musicians who performed on the program returned to the stage to perform the final two scenes of Engelbert Humperdinck's H?nsel and Gretel. Young singers from the Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio and Children's Chorus joined 17-year-old clarinetist Qiudi Zhang, 17-year-old violinist Autumn Chadonowski, 18-year-old violist Rebekah Rudy, 15-year-old violinist Ryan Murphy, 16-year-old...

Trio Vita, Ages 15-17

Mon, Apr 28 Listen
The members of Trio Vita — violinist Ryan Murphy, cellist Stanley Moore, and pianist Brian Chang — all study at Midwest Young Artists in Chicago. The three make no bones about their pet peeves with the each other. "Stanley is very vocal, which is fine," says Ryan of the group's cellist, "but he describes his ideas through impossible to understand metaphors!" According to Stanley, Ryan is the annoying one. "I'll be in the middle of a very interesting metaphor, and Ryan will interrupt me to...

Jonah Ellsworth, Age 13, Cello

Mon, Apr 14 Listen
13-year-old Jonah Ellsworth says he has two personalities. "I have one personality with my friends at school, and another with the people I play with at New England Conservatory on the weekends," he says. "I guess you could say I'm more humble and controlled with my musician friends." As for his friends at school, they know Jonah plays music, but they have never heard him play. His life at school mostly centers around athletics. "I love volleyball and am the captain of the volleyball team,"...

Matthew Woodard, 13, composer and the Maggiore Trio

Wed, Apr 2 Listen
Featuring his compositions I. Le Printemps (3:00) and II. Le Vent et Les Vagues (2:20) from "Five Vignettes for Piano Trio", performed by The Maggiore Trio (see below) Matthew Woodward loves the process of composing music. "When I compose, I sit down at the piano and write everything out by hand," he says. "It's not the most economical process, but I feel a connection to my music. I enjoy thinking up the music and getting it all together in my head before setting it on paper." Only after he...

The Maggiore Trio, 11-13

Wed, Apr 2 Listen
The Maggiore Trio -- 12-year-old violinist JiEun "Anna" Lee, 13-year-old cellist Taeguk Mun, and 11-year-old pianist Alice Burla -- are all students at the Juilliard School's Prep Division. Taeguk is brand new to the U.S. having moved from Korea just five months ago to study music here. Playing chamber music is fairly new to all three of them. "It can be harder than playing solo," says Anna, "because when you're a soloist everyone has to follow you. When you play chamber music you need to...

Anna Lee, Age 11, Violin

Sun, Feb 24 Listen
Violinist Anna JiEun Lee is happy to be 11 years old. "I think the best thing about being 11 is that you're finally growing up," she says. "Even though you're still under your parents' care, you're starting to feel more responsible. Of course I rely on my parents for stuff like clothes and helping me practice, but now I can also do a lot on my own. It's up to me whether I get my homework done or get enough sleep." On the other hand, being 11 hasn't solved one life-long annoyance: her size....

Stephen Feigenbaum, Age 18, Composer

Sun, Feb 24 Listen
Composer Stephen Feigenbaum has great respect for all kinds of music and wishes there were less of a divide between popular and classical styles. "I think pop music is a legitimate expression of music and that classical music needs to be better integrated into the mainstream," he explains. "In order to do that, both sides need to agree that they're both good ways of expressing music." Stephen enjoys exposing his friends to modern classical music they wouldn't necessarily hear otherwise. "I...

Kerensa Gimre, Age 15, Piano

Sun, Feb 24 Listen
At the age of 15, Kerensa Gimre is already a full-time college student. She's been taking classes at Pacific University in Oregon since the age of 11. "I was home-schooled at the time, and we reached a point when my mom wanted to teach me science, but we weren't allowed to purchase any science equipment," she explains. Her mom started looking for other options, and before long Kerensa was enrolled in classes at the university. One thing led to another, and these days she is enrolled as a full...

Daquise Montgomery, Age 17, Flute

Sun, Feb 24 Listen
Daquise Montgomery started playing flute in the seventh grade after hearing his teacher, Ms. Richardson, perform in a faculty talent show. "Afterwards, I had a dream that she and I were playing a flute duet," he recalls. "I just knew I wanted to play." Daquise started taking flute lessons with Ms. Richardson, but paying for lessons soon took a financial toll on his family. "Ms. Richardson said she'd drop the price because of my situation, but it was still steep for us," recalls Daquise. Then,...

Andrea Carroll, Age 18, Soprano

Wed, Feb 20 Listen
Music is at the heart of soprano Andrea Carroll's life. "It has always been my outlet," she explains. "When I'm singing there's nothing else." In addition to singing solo works, Andrea sings in three choirs, a beauty-shop quartet, and a co-ed acapella group. Last summer, she attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, which was one of the best musical experiences of her life. "I learned so much," she says. "I didn't want to leave!" A dancer as well, Andrea has taken lessons in tap,...

Jake Chabot, Age 13, Flute

Wed, Feb 20 Listen
Jake Chabot first encountered the flute through listening to recordings of his dad's favorite band, Jethro Tull. "There was a flutist in the band," says Jake, "and I never liked Jethro Tull, but I really liked the sound of that flute." Jake started playing flute in the third grade, and within months, he gave his first public performance -- in the cafeteria of his elementary school, playing a shaky rendition of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. These days, Jake plays both flute and piccolo. He loves...

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