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.
July 17, 2021
On Deck with Audrey Opsahl
In this episode of “On Deck,” Amy Faust chats with Audrey Opsahl, a 17 year-old singer with the Pacific Youth Choir and the Cleveland High School Choir. She’s gone from screaming random, original songs as a toddler to singing opera, which she fell in love with after a stint in the children’s chorus for Portland… More
July 10, 2021
On Deck with Makenzie Monson
Makenzie Monson is a 15-year-old vocalist and pianist who deeply cherishes music in her life. In this episode of On Deck, Makenzie chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about how performing for others gives her a sense of purpose, as well as an opportunity to bring hope and joy to her audiences. In addition to singing and… More
July 3, 2021
On Deck with Liem Friel
In this episode of “On Deck,” Christa Wessel chats with 17-year old trombonist Liem Friel, who just finished his junior year at Portland’s Cleveland High School. In addition to playing with his school band, Liem is a member of both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Portland Youth Philharmonic. He continued participating in those ensembles… More
June 26, 2021
On Deck with Evelyne Knight
Evelyne Knight knows what it’s like to count lots of rests. She also knows that being an orchestral percussionist is A LOT more complex (and fun!) than most people think. In this episode of “On Deck,” Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Evelyne, who is 17 years old and a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where… More
June 19, 2021
On Deck with Catherine Hartrim-Lowe
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with 16-year-old Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, a self-described “homeschooled, homesteading, high school sophomore, cellist, vocalist, and amateur pianist living near Vancouver, Washington.” Catherine was first introduced to music through piano lessons at the age of five, falling in love with the mellow, singing quality of the cello around her tenth birthday. She currently sings… More
June 12, 2021
On Deck with Erika Metzenberg
In this episode of “On Deck,” Amy Faust chats with Erika Metzenberg, a 15 year old violin player with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Erika has been playing with MYS for almost 8 years, and has recently picked up the viola as well, taking regular lessons from MYS director (and On Deck host) Raul Gomez. As… More
June 5, 2021
On Deck with Arthur Khamkhosy
In this episode of “On Deck,” Christa Wessel talks with 16-year old Arthur Khamkhosy, a junior at Clackamas High School. Though he began his musical journey with piano, he now sings with three choirs (including the Pacific Youth Choir and Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree). He loves the sense of community -and the vibrations- that choir… More
May 22, 2021
On Deck with George Danzelaud
17-year-old George Danzelaud is senior class president at Lake Oswego High School. He started piano when he was four years old, and picked up the violin soon after. In this episode of “On Deck,” George speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about another one of his passions: graffiti art, as well as the importance of making mistakes, embracing failure and pushing your own limits…. More
May 15, 2021
On Deck with Leo Trajano
Amy Faust gets to know Leo Trajano, a 7th grader at Evergreen Middle School in Hillsboro whose passion for playing violin is only matched by his passion for piano. (Oh, and ping pong!) Leo plays with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and he competed last year in the Ten Grands piano competition. He practices about 4… More
May 8, 2021
On Deck with Ted Ekstrand
Ted Ekstrand was inspired to take up an instrument when his older brothers started learning violin and French horn, but Ted wanted something louder and brighter, so, naturally, he picked the trumpet. Currently, Ted plays with the ensembles at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and also loves performing with his school’s… More
