National ‘From the Top’ Show
To Be Broadcast from Chandler

"From the Top," National Public Radio’s hit radio showcase for America’s best young classical musicians, hosted by pianist Christopher O’Riley, comes to Randolph for a live concert recording at Chandler Music Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m.

This special concert—the first Chandler concert to be broadcast to a national audience—will feature young musicians from Vermont and across the country.

Two Vermonters have passed the extremely high audition standards to appear on the show. They are Katie Jordan, a 17-year old horn player from Charlotte, and Dorothea Talento, an 18-year old violinist from Woodstock.

Other young people chosen for the show are Christopher Pell, a 16-year old clarinetist from The Bronx; the Cerberus Trio from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra featuring Kevin Hu, 14, violin, his sister Ophelia Hu, 17, piano, and Mira Luxion, 17, cello; and 16-year old pianist Alvin Zhu from Pittsburgh, PA.

Katie Jordan is a senior at Vergennes Union High School. She is the principal horn player for the Vermont Youth Symphony Orchestra, and participates in band and choir at her high school. Her dad, Alan Jordan, is the executive director of the Vermont Symphony. Katie studies with Alan Parshley in Colchester.

Thea Talento is a senior at The Sharon Academy. She plays with the Upper Valley Music Center String Orchestra in Lebanon, NH. This past spring she was asked to join the Dartmouth Symphony, and served as Concertmistress of the All-New England Music Festival Orchestra in 2007. Thea studies with Colleen Jennings in Hanover.

Pre-Concert Talk

There will be a half-hour pre-concert chat conducted by From the Top's Music producer, Tom Vignieri, beginning at 7 p.m. He will discuss the music performed on the show and how the whole live taping show is put together.

Following the performance the audience is invited to remain in the hall for a brief question and answer period with the seven young musicians.

NBC’s "Today" described "From the Top" as "Exquisite musical performances, punctuated with off-beat interviews and campy skits. This is classy reality programming. And you don’t have to love classical music to love From the Top."

Distributed by NPR to 250 stations coast to coast, "From the Top" reaches 750,000 loyal listeners each week, and is one of the most popular weekly programs on public radio, along with long-term notables Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion.

It can be heard on Vermont Public Radio Sundays from 6 to 7 p.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m. on VPR Classical. This episode taped at Chandler is slated to broadcast in November.

The program is presented by Chandler Center for the Arts in partnership with Vermont Public Radio.

Reserved tickets are available at www.chandler-arts.org or by calling the box office at (802) 728-6464 weekdays between 3 and 6 p.m.

Staging "From the Top" here is extremely ambitious, financially, explained Chandler President Janet Watton. She noted it was made possible only because of the participation of VPR and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. It is also supported through the contributions of individuals and foundations. The radio program is produced in association with WGBH Radio Boston and New England Conservatory of Music, whence the broadcast usually originates.