From the Top, the pre-eminent showcase for young musicians heard by 700,000 listeners each week on more than 250 NPR stations, is coming to the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga to tape a radio broadcast on January 23 at 7 p.m. The popular program will feature the amazing performances and captivating personal stories of extraordinary young classical musicians from across the country. This episode is brought to the Tivoli by Southern Adventist University’s WSMC Classical 90.5 FM and is sponsored by Memorial Hospital.

The broadcast taping features several young musicians, five of which are from East Tennessee. The performance will showcase the McCallie School Guitar Quartet, which includes Chattanooga students Drew Shikoh, Matthew Norris, Ralston Hartness, and Griffin Jayne. Also featured will be pianist Mayuki Miyashita, from Maryville, Tennessee. In addition to From the Top, the Tivoli event includes performances by the Chattanooga Youth Symphony and Southern’s Symphony Orchestra during a special pre-broadcast performance.

Generous support from local donors will allow close to 100 at-risk students from East Lake Middle School and Orchard Knob Middle School to enjoy the performance at no cost. From the Top participants will also be reaching out to the community as musicians visit Memorial Hospital, Calvin Donaldson Elementary, East Lake Academy, and Howard High School.

What began as a radio experiment in 2000 quickly became one of the fastest growing and most popular weekly classical music programs on public radio. Broadcast on nearly 250 stations nationwide to an audience of more than 700,000 listeners each week, From the Top has been described by the Boston Globe as "entertaining, accessible and inspirational … the show is a celebration of extraordinary musicians who happen to be teenagers leading fairly normal lives."

From the Top is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and corporate underwriting from U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and institutions as well as public radio stations. From the Top’s founding partners are New England Conservatory and WGBH.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 423.757.5050 or by visiting wsmc.org.