From the Top, a National Public Radio syndicated radio program, taped an upcoming radio show on Saturday in the Allen Theatre of the Student Union Building.
From the Top is the only national platform showcasing young and pre-collegiate classical musicians, David Balsom, producer of From the Top, said. This is the 16th year that From The Top has been on the air.
This is also the third time From the Top has taped a show in Lubbock, Sherril Skibell, development director for KTTZ-FM, said.
“The first time we came to Lubbock and worked with KTTZ was back in 2003,” Balsom said. “What has ensued the 13 years since we first came here is a wonderful collaboration.”
During the show, the young musicians perform as if they are at a concert, Skibell said.
“The musicians go through an extensive application process and come from all around the country,” Balsom said.
Two of the musicians chosen are from Lubbock, Skibell said.
When they know what cities they are going to, representatives from the program reach out to members of the community, Balsom said, and for this recording they reached out to music teachers, the Lubbock Youth Symphony and the Texas Music Educators Association.
“Playing well is only partially of why they are on the radio show,” Balsom said. “To make an hour of entertaining radio, we need diversity of instruments, repertoire, ages, geography and personality. It’s a variety show. Half of the show is music but half of it is talking to the kids about who they are. That’s what special about the show.”
One of the young musicians on the show, Fiona Shea, a junior in high school from Lubbock and violin player, said she was an avid listener to the program before she came on.
“I thought that someday I would be on the program,” Shea said. “When I was old enough, I applied, especially when I heard that they were coming to Lubbock.”
Shea’s father, David Shea, a professor of clarinet at Texas Tech, said he was amazed by his daughter’s performance.
“My wife and I are musicians, so to see our daughter up there in a more high profile performance experience than I ever got when I was her age was amazing,” David Shea said.
David Shea said he understood his daughter’s nerves because she was playing in front of a crowd they were familiar with.
“It’s a little scarier to be here because everybody knows you and as performers, it’s sometimes easier to perform away from home,” David Shea said. “There’s a lot of expectations, a lot of hype. She knew that she had a lot more pressure on her because all her friends and family were there and were expecting a lot.”
Although she was nervous, Fiona Shea said she knew the crowd was supporting her.
As well as having the musicians on the program, From the Top, in partnership with the Jack Kent Cook Foundation, gives out 20 $10,000 scholarships to musicians who come from families who need financial aid, Balsom said.
“Studies show that pursuing music at this level is expensive,” he said. “The musicians use the award for anything from a new instrument to tuition for a summer program. They also can use it to fund their auditions for college.”
The reason why From the Top chose the Allen Theatre for its taping is because Tech is the center of the community, Balsom said. It brings people on campus to remind them that not only do football and basketball happen here, but quality music is played here too.
Through bringing From the Top to Lubbock, KTTZ-FM gets a great deal of exposure through this taping of the show, Skibell said.
“This episode of From the Top will be broadcast across the country on public radio all over the United States on the week of April 4,” he said, “and it will be coming from the Allen Theatre on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.”
Read the original Daily Toreador article here.