On Deck with Young Musicians
Saturdays at 5pm PT
On Deck with Young Musicians is an inspirational weekly interview segment that celebrates and showcases the incredibly talented young musicians who live and perform in the Pacific Northwest: the young people who are shaping the future of classical music. Created and hosted by Christa Wessel, select episodes of On Deck are also hosted by Adam Eccleston, Raúl Gómez-Rojas, and Lisa Lipton.
Tune in Saturdays at 5:00 PM PT, and revisit past interviews using the links below or by following On Deck on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
If you know of a young musician who should be profiled for On Deck, please email Christa Wessel at christa@allclassical.org.
On Deck with Young Musicians is made possible in part by support from the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.
December 22, 2024
On Deck with Elishiya Crain-Keddie
Elishiya Crain-Keddie is a senior at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics and is in her third year at the Young Composers Project. She plays principal cello for both of her school’s top orchestras and has been selected for the LCRMEA Honors Orchestra every year she has been eligible. Elishiya’s compositions have been awarded …
December 7, 2024
On Deck with Jadelyn Donoho
Jadelyn Donoho is an 18-year-old flutist who is currently a Senior at Arts and Communication Magnet Academy. She started playing the flute at the age of 12 and now studies under Dr. Sydney Carlson and Zach Galatis. She is currently assistant principal flutist in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and previously played in the Conservatory Orchestra …
November 16, 2024
On Deck with James Lee
James Lee is a 16-year-old classical and jazz pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. A junior at Wilsonville High School, James is an active member of the Symphonic Band/Pep Band as a percussionist, the Jazz Band as a pianist and drummer, and regularly accompanies classmates for OMEA competitions. This summer, he graduated from the OMTA Syllabus program …
November 9, 2024
On Deck with Della Simone
Della Simone is a jazz, pop, and classically trained vocalist hailing from Portland, Oregon. She has traveled all over the world with the Portland State Chamber choir, of which she is currently co-president. She performs regularly at local venues including The Old Church (TOC) Concert Hall, Mendelssohn’s, and Corkscrew Wine Bar. She is set to …
November 2, 2024
On Deck with Andrew Lee
Andrew Lee is a 17-year-old junior at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. He has been playing the violin for ten years and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Andrew joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 2021, serving as assistant principal second violin, and before that, as the concertmaster of PYCO. As a soloist, he was …
October 26, 2024
On Deck with Natalie Alexander
Natalie Alexander is a 17-year old clarinetist with both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic, and she envisions a future full of music. She wants to do it all: orchestra, chamber music, teaching. In this episode of On Deck, Lisa Lipton talks with Natalie about her interest in women composers, about leadership, and …
October 12, 2024
On Deck with Rohan Focer
Rohan Focer is a Senior at Tigard high school and has been playing the flute for 6 years. He has been a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s Flute Ensemble for two years now and took lessons from Denise Westby. He has participated in the Flute Alliance Flute Boot Camp for two summers and enjoys …
October 5, 2024
On Deck with Annie Rhew
Annie Rhew is a 16-year cellist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She’s been playing cello since age 8 and has since won MANY awards. Annie was also the “Healing Through Music” volunteer at OHSU for 2 summers and is currently working as a music therapy volunteer at a local hospice care group. Lisa Lipton chats …
September 29, 2024
On Deck with Marcus Hanlon
Marcus Hanlon has loved music since before he knew what an instrument was. He’s played the bassoon for over six years, three of which have been with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. He also loves science and is combining his love of electrical engineering and music by transcribing various pieces of music for Tesla coils. In …
September 22, 2024
On Deck with Mia Hale
18-year old oboist Mia Hale started off playing music with the violin and piano, but has made the switch to the double reed family! In this interview with Lisa Lipton, we dive deeper into finding what inspires her in music. Mia is a recent graduate of Parkrose High School and will be attending the University …
