Damon Gupton to Host NPR's 'From The Top'

From the Top, the nationwide program distributed by NPR that showcases young classically-trained musicians, has named actor and conductor Damon Gupton as Guest Host when the show records a new broadcast at Interlochen Center for the Arts on Friday, March 15, 2019 at 7:30 PM.

From the Top is heard weekly on Interlochen Public Radio (Classical IPR, Saturdays at 5:00 PM).The program will feature current and former students of Interlochen Arts Academy, including the Interlochen Orchestra, conducted by Damon Gupton and Dr. Leslie B. Dunner. Pianist Michelle Cann will join as co-host/collaborative pianist.

Tickets for From the Top at Corson Auditorium can be purchased at tickets.interlochen.org.

The program will include:

Cellist Esther Chae (16), current Arts Academy student from Miami, Florida, performing Tchaikovsky's "Pezzo Capriccioso" with pianist Michelle Cann

Tuba player JunMing Wen (17) winner of Interlochen's Concerto Competition from GuangZhou, China, performing the first movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto with Dr. Leslie B. Dunner and the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra

Interlochen Arts Academy Percussion Ensemble members Anne Hayes, Eli Reisz, Abigail Dellovade, Jaelyn Quiliizapa, Ruyi Yuan, Sophia Bondi, and Ava Machado performing "Shared Space" by Ivan Trevino

Damon Gupton conducting the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra on selections from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Op. 20

Bassoonist Luis Marquez Teruel, current Arts Academy student from Maracaibo, Venezuela, a previous recipient of From the Top's Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and 2018 winner of Interlochen's Concerto Competition performing: II. Allegro scherzando from the Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by Camille Saint-Saëns, with Michelle Cann, piano.

The Interlochen Arts Academy Percussion Ensemble's appearance is supported by Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP).

This is From the Top's seventh recording at Interlochen Arts Academy. Nearly 300 students of Interlochen's Arts Academy and Arts Camp have been featured on the popular showcase since the show's inception in 2000.

Broadcast on more than 220 stations nationwide to an audience of nearly half a million listeners, From the Top is the most popular weekly one-hour music program on public radio. Young performers share their passion for classical music, and speak about their non-musical lives, from career goals and family to hidden talents, school, and community life. From the Top appeals to diverse audiences, but is especially suited for ages 7 and up.

This episode of From the Top will air on participating stations and by podcast during the week of May 6, 2019.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Damon Gupton is known for appearing in TV series including Criminal Minds, Bates Motel, and Black Lightning, as well as films such as La La Land and Whiplash, and performances on Broadway. An accomplished orchestral conductor, Gupton received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Michigan. He studied conducting with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the Aspen Music Festival and with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. Gupton has made conducting appearances with the Detroit Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony, and Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, among others. His awards include the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and The Aspen Conducting Prize. He is the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the University of Michigan School of Music and Alumni Society. He also holds a degree in Drama from The Juilliard School.