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.
June 27, 2015
On Deck with Renee & Randy Zhang
This week we’re “On Deck” with siblings: 16-year old violinist Renee Zhang and her 14-year old viola-playing brother, Randy Zhang. Both are in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and both have recently won concerto competitions. In fact, *both* won spots in the Jewish Community Orchestra’s young artist showcase this year, and we’ll hear excerpts of their performances in… More
June 20, 2015
On Deck with Lucas Abrahamsen
“On Deck” Host Christa Wessel met 16-year old Lucas Abrahamsen at a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Lucas was selling raffle tickets and marched right up to her and confidently convinced her to buy one. This young percussionist has an enthusiasm for music that makes him stand out. Tune in to hear Lucas talk about… More
June 6, 2015
On Deck at Ethos Summer Camps
Year-round, Ethos Music Center provides low-cost music lessons to young students. In the summer they also provide day camps. Kids can enroll in these week-long sessions to learn guitar, drums, piano and even hip-hop. In this episode of “On Deck” we visits the strings camp and learn that even absolute beginners are encouraged to attend.
May 9, 2015
On Deck with Ellie Phillips
Enjoy this chat with 16-year old viola player and composer Ellie Phillips. She’s a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, but also participated this Spring in Fear No Music’s Young Composer’s Project. Robert McBride –an occasional composer himself– is the guest-host for this episode of “On Deck”. The segment concludes with a performance of Ellie’s… More
May 2, 2015
On Deck at Northwest Band Camps
This week we head to the Oregon Coast to visit Northwest Band Camps. Founded 45 years ago, the mission of this summer program is to keep kids playing their instruments through middle, high school, college and beyond. Northwest Band Camps offers two week-long sessions each summer. The camp is designed for kids entering 7th through… More
April 25, 2015
On Deck with Spencer Schaffer
Spencer Schaffer is a 17-year old trombonist who LOVES classical music. He listens to All Classical Portland all the time, and he plays his trombone at every opportunity: at school, in small ensembles, with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In fact, he plays *so much* that he has developed tendonitis, which makes it hard for him… More
April 4, 2015
On Deck with John Fawcett
In this episode we meet the sixth and final young artist participating in Tuesday’s MetroArts concert. 14-year old John Fawcett lives in Bend, but takes violin lessons in Eugene, and has for the last few months been traveling to Portland for coachings with MetroArts founder Niel Deponte. His parents are undoubtedly counting the days until… More
March 28, 2015
On Deck with Fumika Mizuno
We first profiled Fumika in May of 2014, but revisit her story this week as we continue our series of “On Deck” episodes featuring the winners of this year’s MetroArts Young Artist Concert (to be held at the Newmark Theater on April 7).
March 21, 2015
On Deck with Annie Zhang
Annie Zhang, at 13 years old, is the youngest member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She is also the youngest participant in this year’s MetroArts Young Artist Concert. We’ll meet this amazing young cellist in this episode of On Deck with Young Musicians.
March 14, 2015
On Deck with Hannah Moon
We first profiled Hannah back in November 2013, but revisit her story this week as we continue our series of “On Deck” episodes which profile the winners of this year’s MetroArts Young Artist Concert.
