Yang

Charles Yang is not your typical teenager. True, he’s not the first 18-year-old from his hometown of Austin, Texas, to play in three different rock bands. But this rocker is also a formidable classical virtuoso who can nail the most difficult show pieces with thrilling flair. A self-styled “Asian Cowboy,” Yang often spends his spare time jamming with his friends in a cowboy hat. He also dreams of changing the image of classical music into something more accessible and cool. But when his parents show his friends a video of him playing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with an orchestra, Yang gets embarrassed and protests: “Mom, turn it off!” He has no reason to be ashamed; his friends are instantly enthralled. “That’s amazing,” one says.

Charles is just one of the many prodigiously talented young musicians celebrated on From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall, a 13-part series coming to public television stations nationwide this month and making its New York City debut on Thirteen/WNET Friday, April 13, at 10:30 PM. Based on the popular National Public Radio program, the new television series, recorded live in Zankel Hall last fall, offers an engaging mix of brilliant performances, intimate profiles of young musicians’ lives, and playful conversations with host Christopher O’Riley, himself an acclaimed concert pianist.

A typical episode contains a wealth of stories and music. Take Clark Pang, a 10-year-old cellist just slightly larger than his instrument. He is in a good position to shed some light on the difficulty of being both a kid and a musician: “The worst thing about being a musician is that people think that you don’t do anything else,” he confides. “But that’s not true. I like being a normal kid.” Clark decided he wanted to play the cello after watching Yo-Yo Ma imitate the sound of fire-engine sirens on his instrument on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Clark’s sister, 15-year-old pianist Chloe Pang, another star of the show, has already recorded a CD of Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. After an introduction by O’Riley, the siblings transition effortlessly into a movement from Shostakovich’s D-Minor Sonata for Cello and Piano.

A small girl with dark hair walks on stage and dazzles the audience with a rapid Allegro from a Mozart piano sonata. Her name is Leeza Ali, and like Charles and Clark, she has interests that extend beyond classical music. Leeza and her two older sisters—all musicians—are enamored of Bollywood films. “It’s so cheesy, so great,” says Leeza. “We made a full-on film this summer with our cousins, with different locations and musical numbers. My sister Nora and I are actually taking Bollywood-style dance lessons.”

For Executive Producer Laurie Donnelly, translating the highly popular radio program into a television show has brought a whole new set of rewards. “With television, we have the opportunity to travel the country and see where some of these kids come from—the environment they are growing up in and the family that helped influence who they are,” she says. “The programs also include some dramatic moments from the rehearsals that lead up to the performances. It is an interesting insight into the making of music, not just the playing of it.”