Ten classical musicians got the chance to play in front of a live audience Tuesday evening for a national taping of one of the most popular classical music programs on the radio in the Shaver Theatre — and they were all younger than 18.
The NPR program, titled “From the Top,” is broadcast on nearly 250 stations nationwide to an audience of more than 700,000 listeners each week.
The show is hosted by Christopher O’Riley, international classical pianist and the College of Music and Dramatic Arts’ first James M. Sylar Distinguished Visiting Artist. It showcases performances and stories from America’s best pre-college classical musicians.
Nine of the 10 performers were Louisiana natives.
“Our goal is to have at least one [performer who] is local. Sometimes it’s more, and very rarely do we come up empty,” said David Balsom, tour producer. “In this case we were fortunate that we had real variety in Louisiana kids. Four out of the five acts are from the state.”
Performances included a cello piece by 15-year-old Jean Kim from Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., a piano piece by 16-year-old Jennifer Tu from New Orleans, a soprano performance by 17-year-old Jennifer Seidel of Baton Rouge, a viola piece by Marcus Rose, 17, from Shreveport and a jazz piece by The Red Hot Brass Band, whose six members all hail from Louisiana.
“We always knew there was terrific music making in Louisiana, so we weren’t particularly surprised [by the large number of locals],” Balsom said. “And, of course, we’d never have a traditional jazz band anywhere else but in Louisiana.”
Seidel said she has been singing for as long as she can remember and used to pretend her Barbie dolls would sing to each other rather than talk.
“I was singing before I was talking,” she said.
Seidel said her vocal coach, University voice professional Terry Patrick-Harris, suggested she submit a tape for the “From the Top” audition.
“We did it for fun,” Seidel said, adding that she never expected to actually make it on the show. “I was just really surprised.”
Laurence Kaptain, dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, said he formed a relationship with the “From the Top” program in 2005 after bringing them to the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University where he was working at the time.
Kaptain said the program was such a hit that he wanted to bring it to LSU.
In December 2009, CMDA formed a collaboration with O’Riley — he will be distinguished here until 2013.
The taping served as part of the appointment, and the program will continue to collaborate with the University for a three-year series of community engagements, partnerships, arts leadership and communication activities.
Kaptain said he hopes to create awareness about the University’s music and performing arts programs.
“It’s a way of making sure they’ll remember LSU,” he said. “I’d like to think I’m doing my part to show that Louisiana really is a great place, and you can succeed here. There’s a lot that gets cast against the shadows in this state.”
Kaptain said it’s also significant to see so many local musicians in the performance.
“When I hosted the show in Georgia, only two of the performers were from the area,” he said. “This time, it’s nearly the entire lineup.”
Jennifer Hurley-Wales, CEO of “From the Top,” said the focus of the show is on the performers.
“The idea is to celebrate young musicians the way our country celebrates young athletes,” she said. “We want to applaud them for their talent and perseverance and to inspire people to keep music education alive.”
The taping concluded with a rousing rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” by The Red Hot Brass Band, during which the entire audience stood up and clapped their hands in unison.
The episode will air nationally the week of Dec. 13.
 
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Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]