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.
November 7, 2020
On Deck with Nate Strothkamp
Christa Wessel talks with violinist Nate Strothkamp, a 16-year old junior at Oregon Episcopal School. Nate recently won the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Concerto Competition, which granted him the honor of playing the full Korngold Violin Concerto with PYP at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Nate is also involved in two non-profit organizations: Project Prelude (he’s… More
October 31, 2020
On Deck with Joshua Arce
Amy Faust chats with flutist Joshua Arce. Born in Salem to parents who emigrated from Nicaragua, Joshua made it into the National Youth Orchestra just 4 years after picking up a flute for the first time. His passion for music led him to set a series of lofty goals for himself, all of which he… More
October 24, 2020
On Deck with Abigail Kim
16-year-old Abigail Kim started her musical journey on the piano and violin, but it didn’t take long for her to find her true voice in the oboe. She is now a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic, and is preparing for her Carnegie Hall debut in the summer of 2021. Abigail… More
October 17, 2020
On Deck with Joshua Hahn
Christa Wessel chats with 18-year old pianist Joshua Hahn, who earlier this year won a spot on the Young Artists Debut Concerto Concert presented by Cognizart by MetroArts. Joshua loves how music demands perseverance and dedication, and also how it can connect us to emotion and memory deep inside us.
October 10, 2020
On Deck with Cole White
Cole White is a 15-year-old euphonium player whose musical adventures include playing with the BRAVO Community Orchestra and, most recently, joining two different bands in Portland. He credits BRAVO with helping him improve his musical skills and providing a place to make great friends. In this conversation with Raúl Gómez, Cole shares the story of… More
October 3, 2020
On Deck with Kara Taylor
Amy Faust chats with multi-instrumentalist and composer Kara Taylor. A music lover since birth, Kara took up the piano at the ripe old age of 3 so that she could accompany her own singing. She has since added violin and saxophone to her repertoire, as well as the flute, which she currently plays with Metropolitan… More
September 26, 2020
On Deck with Evan Nakanishi
16-year-old Evan Nakanishi has a dream of being a professional percussionist in a symphony orchestra, and he is having a lot of fun along the way. Raúl Gómez speaks with this junior from Clackamas High School, who shares stories about making performance videos while in quarantine, wearing silly hats and elaborate costumes, and becoming enamored with percussion… More
September 19, 2020
On Deck with Skye Neal
Christa Wessel chats with 10-year old Skye Neal, who has had a fascination with music from the time she was a toddler. She plays violin and piano, sings with the Pacific Youth Choir, and at age 8 she began taking composition lessons. Skye has been a part of Fear No Music’s “Young Composer Project” for… More
September 5, 2020
On Deck with Anna Hermes
Our newest contributor to “On Deck,” Raul Gomez, chats with singer/songwriter Anna Hermes, an 18-year old soprano and a recent graduate of St. Mary’s Academy. Throughout her high school career, she was a member of Pacific Youth Choir, a songwriting camp counselor with Young Musicians and Artists, a musical theater performer and a passionate advocate… More
March 7, 2020
On Deck with Rhys Phillips
Rhys Phillips is an 18-year old multi-genre multi-instrumentalist, and a senior at West Linn High School. His principal instrument is the piano, but he also sings and plays the cello, guitar and bass. He loves playing classical, jazz and pop. He deeply loves music, and in intently focused on music as a career: he is… More
