Braden appeared on From the Top’s “Blanket Fort Show”, which first aired the week of April 27, 2020. He returned with an original composition on Show 391, airing November 9, 2020.

Braden Ellis (double bass), 18, hails from Broomall, Pennsylvania where he takes college-credit courses and homeschools. He is a recipient of From the Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. He studies at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division with teachers Tim Cobb and Tomoya Aomori. Braden enjoys performing music of all genres. One of his favorite musical experiences has been performing at the Marion Anderson Award Gala. Braden also enjoys astronomy.

Pierce performed on Show 391 from Turtle Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 25, 2020.

Peirce Ellis (viola), 17, hails from Broomall, Pennsylvania and is in his senior year at Marple Academy Homeschool. He attends the Juilliard Pre-College Program where he studies with Toby Appel and Joohyun Kim. Peirce has participated in the Youth Chamber Orchestra in Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. He has performed nationally with the Perfect Fourth Quartet through the Sphinx Organization. After training with Project 440, he co-designed a classical music presentation and presented it to Philadelphia elementary school students. Peirce has attended numerous summer music programs, including Meadowmount and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. One of his most memorable musical experiences was playing at the White House for Michelle Obama. Outside of music, Peirce enjoys basketball and working for social justice.

Charles Yang appeared as a Co-Host on Show 364 in Beaver Creek, CO, Show 391 in November 2020, Show 414 in May 2022, Show 424 in January 2023.

He appeared as guest artist on Show 346 in Boston, MA on October 1, 2017 as a member of Time for Three and Show 303, recorded in Interlochen, MI, on March 13, 2015.

He was a featured performer on Show 74, recorded in Austin, TX, on October 19, 2002; Show 160, recorded in Boston on May 23, 2007; Show 230, recorded in Monterey, CA, on April 7, 2011; and Show 286, recorded in Cincinnati, OH, on April 2, 2014.

Charles Yang, recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award has been described by the Boston Globe as one who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star.” A graduate from the Juilliard School, Mr. Yang began his violin studies with his mother in Austin, Texas, and has since studied with world-renowned pedagogues Kurt Sassmanshaus, Paul Kantor, Brian Lewis and Glenn Dicterow. He first appeared on From the Top as a 14 year-old and has been featured on radio, PBS’ “From the Top at Carnegie Hall” and numerous other From the Top projects ever since.   He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. On June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own “Charles Yang Day.” He joined the genre-defying trio, Time for Three in 2016. Visit his website at charlesyangmusic.com.

Peter was named Host of From the Top in January 2020.

Peter Dugan’s position is sponsored by Susan and Gerald Slavet.

Peter first appeared on From the Top Show 158, recorded in April 2007, at age 18.

Prizing versatility as the key to the future of classical music, pianist Peter Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms.

He is heard nationwide as the  host of NPR’s beloved program From the Top.  He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad. 

In 2020, Mr Dugan performed with Joshua Bell on a PBS Broadcast “At Home with Music” and appeared on  the album of the same name on Sony Classical. He was also featured on PBS Great Performances with mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan for the series “Now Hear This”.

A sought-after multi-genre artist, Mr. Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Itzhak Perlman and Renee Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close. Mr Dugan’s debut performances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony were described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the SF Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic.” The Wall Street Journal described Mr. Dugan’s collaboration with violinist Charles Yang as a “classical-meets-rockstar duo.” Mr. Dugan has been presented in chamber music recitals by Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Music at Menlo, Moab Music Festival, and recently in recital with Joshua Bell at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival.  He was the 2019 featured recitalist for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and has soloed with the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, New World Symphony, and Mid-Texas Symphony.

His album with baritone John Brancy –  A Silent Night: A WWI Memorial in Song – pays homage to composers who lived through, fought in, and died in the Great War. Brancy and Dugan toured this program across North America in commemoration of the centennial of WWI, including performances at The Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, Stanford University, the United States Naval Academy, and the Smithsonian Institute.  Together Brancy and Dugan won first prize at the 2018 Montreal International Music Competition and second prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. He can also be heard as the piano soloist on a recording of Ives’ Fourth Symphony from Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, a recording which the New York Times named one of the top classical albums of 2019. 

Mr. Dugan advocates the importance of music in the community and at all levels of society.  As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, he has traveled to dozens of schools in the greater New York area, performing for students and encouraging them to use their talents – their superpowers – for good.

Mr. Dugan holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Matti Raekallio. He was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholar, College Scholar, and Graduate Scholar awards.

He resides in New York City with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, and serves on the piano faculty at the Juilliard School Evening Division. Mr. Dugan is a Yamaha Artist.