Programs & Hosts

On Deck with Young Musicians

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.  


Koharu Sakiyama

May 21, 2022

On Deck with Koharu Sakiyama

Amy Faust gets to know Koharu Sakiyama, a composer whose piece “Untold Tales,” a collaboration with local young poet Laila Vickers, just premiered at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s spring concert. Koharu, who also plays violin with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, alto sax with her high school band, as well as the Japanese koto, has won… More


Margo Pullen

May 14, 2022

On Deck with Margo Pullen

Margot Pullen is a 17-year-old junior at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School in Portland. Her primary instrument is trumpet, which she plays with her school’s wind ensemble and with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, but she also plays flute, piano and dabbles in other instruments. Margot finds her creative work deeply fulfilling. She has been a… More


May 7, 2022

On Deck with Lorelei Gorton

15-year old high school sophomore Lorelei Gorton  loves the term ‘artist’ because of its range, and that’s exactly how she describes herself. She’s primarily a dancer and musician, but she also has a passion for writing, singing, acting, and visual art.  That’s why she loves being able to go to the Arts & Communication Magnet… More


Diego Fernandez

April 30, 2022

On Deck with Diego Fernandez

Adam Eccleston shares a heart-to-heart moment with flutist and All Classical Portland Young Artist Ambassador, Diego Fernandez. This joyous junior of South Salem High School has already contributed much to our greater Portland community. Diego is a well-rounded musician supporting works of modern living composers of diverse background. He has aspirations to become a leading… More


Joey Young

April 16, 2022

On Deck with Joey Young

Amy Faust chats with Joey Young, a senior at Mountain View High School in Vancouver. After picking up a viola for his school music program in the 5th grade, Joey’s love of classical music led to an interest in composing, which he has been doing now for several years. Through Fear No Music’s Young Composers… More


April 2, 2022

On Deck with Paul Zupan

In this episode of “On Deck,” Christa Wessel chats with Paul Zupan.  A sophomore at Franklin High School, Paul loves nothing more than being with friends in band (Paul plays saxophone) and in the Pacific Youth Choir (Paul sings bass). Paul has been making music since 5th grade, but says it has only gotten more… More


a woman with brown hair leaning against a brick wall with her arms crossed

March 5, 2022

On Deck with Cael Farrow

Amy Faust gets to know Cael Farrow, a senior at Grant High School in Portland and a passionate advocate for classical music. Cael started playing the cello at age 4, and very soon was entertaining crowds at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, playing for tips while sitting in her car seat. Now a member of the… More


Mindy Moradi

January 29, 2022

On Deck with Mindy Moradi

Christa Wessel speaks with 15-year-old violinist Mindy Moradi about perseverance, about playing with adults in the Westside Community and Youth Orchestra, and about what music does to her brain.


January 15, 2022

On Deck with Heaven Fay Scroggins

Amy Faust chats with Heaven Fay Scroggins, a pianist, viola player and composer who’s in the seventh grade. In the second grade, Heaven Fay was introduced to classical music by Bravo Orchestras when they came to her elementary school, Rosa Parks in North Portland. After several years playing the viola, her perfect attendance earned her… More


Paul Lee

January 8, 2022

On Deck with Paul Lee

Paul Lee is an 18-year-old pianist and violinist with an already long list of awards and accomplishments. In this episode of On Deck, Paul shares with Raúl Gómez how he went from being a “competition guy” to an “outreach guy,” putting his music to the service of others. He and his brother Timmy -also a… More


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