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"The Polka basically killed the accordion," award-winning musician Samuel Thomas says. He much prefers to play jazz and classical music on his accordion.
October 24, 2007 - This week's From the Top comes from New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall in Boston, where 18-year-old Samuel Thomas unpacks his accordion to play "Chopin's Nightmare," and eleven-year-old violinist Mindy Chen plays a romance by Sarasate. We also hear Dvorak from a teen piano quintet, Elgar from a talented young cellist, and Prokofiev from a 14-year-old pianist.
Samuel Thomas is so serious about the accordion that he placed first at the U.S. National Accordion Competition. But a few years ago, practicing too much caused muscle injuries in his arm. "My mom took me to a bunch of doctors who all wanted to cut me up," Samuel recalls. "Luckily she didn't let them." Instead Samuel's mom enrolled him in break dancing classes, and the pain went away. Samuel plays "Chopin's Nightmare" by Joe Spano.
Five friends in the pre-college division at the Juilliard School in New York recently formed the Juilliard Piano Quintet and immediately tackled Dvorak's Piano Quintet, Opus 81. They play the work's opening movement. Also from Juilliard's Pre-College Division, Singapore-born Clare Yeo, 14, plays music from Romeo & Juliet by Prokofiev.
In fourth grade, Marvin Brown wanted to play the double bass, but was forced to downsize when his bus driver wouldn't allow such a large instrument on board. Marvin picked the next largest instrument—the cello. Now 18, he plays "Salut d'Amour" by Elgar, with host Christopher O'Riley at the piano. Chris also joins eleven-year-old Mindy Chen, who won her first violin competition when she was a six-year-old Suzuki student. She plays "Romanza Andalusa" by Pablo de Sarasate.
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