Max performed in the Silent Night Cello Quartet.

Nathan performed on Show 322 in Davis, CA, on March 18, 2016.

Show 322 bio:

Nathan Le (cello), 16, is from Porter Ranch, California, and is a student at Sierra Canyon School. He studies cello with Ronald Leonard at The Colburn School. He won third prize at the eighth International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, has been a finalist at the Mondavi National Young Artists’ Competition, and won first place at the Music Teachers’ Association of California VOCE Competition. Outside of music Nathan loves to play golf, ping-pong, flying remote-control helicopters, and reading books. Also, he is very interested in science, and has presented his project at the California State Science Fair.

Noah performed most recently on Show 310, recorded in Aspen, CO, on July 12, 2015. He previously appeared on Show 241, recorded in Washington, D.C., on October 16, 2011.

June 2018 bio:

Noah Lee (cello), 18, has been heard multiple times on From The Top. At 12 years of age, Noah won the first prize at the 2012 7th international Tchaikovsky Competition For Young Musicians in Montreux, Switzerland, becoming the first and only US cellist to be given this honor. In 2014 he won grand prize at the 10th International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Porec, Croatia and consequently gave his European recital debut at the Euphrasian Basilica in October 2015. Noah was named 2018 US Presidential Scholar in the Arts selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. He is a 2016 Davidson Fellow, an award given by the Davison Institute for demonstration of an extraordinary accomplishment. As a 2017 YoungArts finalist, he participated in the 36th annual National YoungArts week in Miami where he was awarded the gold prize. Noah was named a 2017 nominee of International Classical Music Awards in Europe. He was invited to solo with the Ensemble Esperanza at the 2017 Next Generation Festival in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. Noah is the founder and president of the Back to Bach Project, an international initiative to encourage elementary school children to learn to play an instrument and to show the value of hard work and passion. He began with 3 members in Oakland, New Jersey, and since then he developed the project to 13 regions across the United States and 4 regions abroad with over 150 members participating in his project. Additionally, he is a founding member and the principal cellist of Heartstrings Cello Ensemble, a group that is dedicated to provide concerts and performances for local and global missions. Noah will be starting his undergraduate studies at Harvard University in the fall of 2018.

Show 310 bio:

Noah Lee, cello, 15, of Oakland, New Jersey, became the first and only US cellist to win the first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians in Montreaux, Switzerland, at the age of 12. At the age of 14, Noah was again the first American cellist to win the grand prize at the 10th International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Porec, Croatia. He performed as a soloist with the Russian State Orchestra under the baton of Yury Tkachenko, and also with Sinfonietta de Lausanne under the baton of Martin Fischer-Dieskau. Noah appeared on From the Top With Host Christopher O’Riley in 2011 in Washington, DC. Recently, he had an engagement with The Princeton Symphony Orchestra in their PSO Bravo concert series under the baton of Rossen Milanov. Currently, Noah is a merit scholarship student at the Don Bosco Preparatory School and studies with Richard Aaron at The Juilliard School, Pre-College Division.

Esther appeared on Show 316 in Rochester, NY, on January 17, 2016. She also appears on  Show 369, recorded in Boston on March 23, 2019, and with the Clef Trio on Show 324 in New York, NY, on May 24, 2016.

Show 369 bio:

Esther Yu (cello), 18, is a freshman at Harvard University and previously appeared on From the Top at age 15. A native of Rye, New York, she studied with Clara Kim at The Juilliard School’s Precollege Division from 2011-2018. She was a third prize-winner of the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and a YoungArts Finalist in 2018. Outside of music, Esther loves traveling, playing tennis, and eating good food.

Show 316 bio:

Esther Yu (cello), 15, is from Rye, New York, and attends Rye High School while studying cello with Minhye Kim in The Juilliard Pre-College Division. She won third prize in the 2015 Johansen International Competition in Washington, D.C., and was a semifinalist in the eighth International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. She is also the principal cellist of the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony. Outside of music, Esther loves to volunteer for non-profit organizations, inspired by her father, who goes to Peru as a medical missionary.