From the Top

Teenage pianists David Allakhverdov,and Weiyin Chen,17, tear up the keyboard in a performance of Variations on a Theme by Paganini by Witold Lutoslawski

Clarinetist Anthony McGill makes a guest appearance performing Brahms with a 14-year-old cellist, bonding with a teenage clarinet quintet over their shared instrument, and recalling stories from his childhood.

17-year-old Erhu player narrates a colorful multilayered audio introduction to this traditional Chinese instrument and then performs a medley to two contrasting Erhu pieces.

A 16-year-old violist plays one of Brahms' most beautiful sonatas, a young percussionist shares an experience that inspired him to connect with his Mexican-American heritage, and a teen violinist recalls his "bucket list" performance at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama.

Corey Dundee, who is now a member of the award winning Kenari Quartet, appeared on From the Top as a teenager. Here his teen performance of Russell Peck's "The Upward Stream" with the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel

This week we hear a mambo for harp, one of Debussy's earliest works, a Spiritual arranged by composer Margaret Bonds, and a fiddle finale with a 12-year-old national champion. Violinist Tessa Lark joins as co-host.

This week's short form podcast features a 17-year-old pianist performing an excerpt from Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 1 and her swim-team coach chimes in to rave about her performance in the pool.

A pair of sisters from New York deliver a brilliant performance of Mozart. They're joined by a 16-year-old pianist playing Chopin, a talented young composer, and a violist who shares her powerful experiences with synesthesia.

Horror movies can definitely inspire a great classical music performance. They certainly inspired 14-year-old harpist Anna DeLoi in 2010. Back then, Anna shared a chilling tale and a riveting performance that's bound to get you ready for the spookiest of seasons. Check it out on this week's installment of our short-form series of amazing FTT moments from the archives.

A piano duo plays Saint-Saëns' thrilling Danse Macabre, a teenage violinist performs Jessie Montgomery's "Peace" and reflects on a stunning experience deep in a cave in Virginia, we also hear from a winner of the prestigious Junior Sphinx competition.