All Classical Radio | On Deck with Young Musicians

Software engineer (and former violinist) Emily Wu reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares about her work as a software engineer, getting involved in the dance community, and sharing advice with young musicians on overcoming their obstacles.

Bassist Nick Arredondo reacts to his interview from 10 years ago, and shares about finding community in the Colburn School of Music, playing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and sharing advice with young musicians to prioritize self-care.

Vocalist Geetha Somayajula reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares her journey since then (which includes a degree from USC, a Fulbright year in South India, a stint at Price Waterhouse Cooper, and a current path to a dual Masters degree at Northwestern University). Geetha also shares that as a South Asian she has often felt misunderstood; she now finds purpose in helping people communicate and find a sense of belonging.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. In our first episode, pianist Ruta Kuzmickas reacts to her interview from 10 years ago and talks to Jahlysa about her rebellious nature which pushes her to create both music AND visual art, and about her commitment to expressing gratitude. Ruta will also share her advice for young musicians.

Olivia Turk is a classical saxophonist who just started their senior year at Ida B Wells high school where they play clarinet and saxophone. They started music over ten years ago and have been playing saxophone for three. Currently, Olivia plays in Portland Youth Philharmonic Wind Ensemble and sits first chair in their school band. Adam Eccleston talks with Olivia about their drive to pursue music as a career.

Naomi Margolis is a 16-year old cellist who not only plays in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, but she also -as a freshman- started a chamber orchestra at Lincoln High School. Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Naomi about leadership, about being the youngest member of almost every ensemble she’s been a part of, and about how orchestra is like a sports team. Naomi also loves learning languages (Mandarin, Spanish & German) and appreciates how those languages foster connections.

Eunji Ryu is a rising senior at Westview High School in Beaverton. She has been playing the cello for almost 10 years and currently plays in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In 2022 and 2023, she played in Oregon's All-State High School Ensemble and in 2023, played in the All-Northwest Ensemble. In 2022, she performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York for the Winners Recital of the American Protégé International Strings Competition. Other than music, her interests lie in creative writing. She enjoys teaching about writing through Ad Meliora, a youth organization promoting a love of literature to younger students.

Rhys Phillips is an 18-year old multi-genre, multi-instrumentalist, and a senior at West Linn High School. His principal instrument is the piano, but he also sings and plays the cello, guitar and bass. He loves playing classical, jazz and pop. He deeply loves music, and in intently focused on music as a career: he is headed to Berklee College of Music in the Fall. Throughout this high school career, though, Rhys has found it a bit difficult to connect with his peers about his love of classical music. We’ll talk with Rhys about the struggle to find his tribe.

Lilia Niebuhr is a 14-year-old multi-instrumentalist, who will start her sophomore year at Westview High School in the fall. Lilia started learning piano when she was only 4, and started flute in 4th grade. Recently, she also picked up the oboe, and within just a few short months, she qualified for the State Solo and Ensemble Competition. Currently she plays both of her woodwind instruments with Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In this episode of On Deck, Lilia chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her drive to seek new challenges and stick to efficient practicing habits.

Sal Wallin is a classical guitarist and composer at Reed College, where he is majoring in music with a focus on composing. He has studied guitar with multiple teachers including Cameron O’Connor, Mario Diaz and John Mery, and additionally studies voice and composition with Emily Lau. He also sings with the Big Mouth Society, a community-supported collective of musicians which performs multiple unique, wide-ranging concerts each year.