On Deck with Young Musicians
As of March 2025, On Deck with Young Musicians is no longer producing new episodes. This program featured inspirational interviews that celebrate and showcase the incredibly talented young musicians who live and perform in the Pacific Northwest: the young people who are shaping the future of classical music. The archive below features episodes hosted by Christa Wessel, Adam Eccleston, Raúl Gómez-Rojas, Jahlysa Azaret, and Lisa Lipton.
February 16, 2019
On Deck with Alesandra Pardini
Alesandra Pardini is a 17-year old junior at Lincoln High School. She is a self-professed “opera nerd,” but choir also plays a huge role in her life. She has been part of the Pacific Youth Choir since the age of 5. We’ll learn how choir got Alesandra through a very dark part of her life …
February 2, 2019
On Deck with Adam Broce
Adam Broce is a 17-year old cellist who began playing only 5 years ago. In this episode of “On Deck” Adam talks about the pros and cons of starting an instrument at a relatively late age. He is passionate about music (he is a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony), and says he wants to …
January 19, 2019
On Deck with Jenna Tu
Jenna Tu is a 16-year old pianist who is one of the 8 finalists in the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s piano concerto competition. (This competition – which is a collaboration between PYP and Portland Piano International – is open to the public, and takes place on January 25th at Lincoln Hall at Portland State University.) In …
January 12, 2019
On Deck with Jesse Nieman
Jesse Nieman is a 15-year old musician (he plays a LOT of instruments) who has lately been focusing his energy on the piano. And it has paid off: Jesse is one of 8 finalists in the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s piano concerto competition. (This competition – which is a collaboration between PYP and Portland Piano International …
January 5, 2019
On Deck with Lilia Biehl
Lilia Biehl is a 16-year old junior at St. Mary’s Academy who has two sides to her musical self: a singer and a tuba player! She performs with both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Pacific Youth Choir. Though she has been a singer since childhood it took her a while to find the tuba. …
December 8, 2018
On Deck with Willow Klug
Willow Klug is a senior at Hockinson High School in Brush Prairie, Washington. She plays French horn in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and credits MYS with deepening and expanding her love of classical music. Willow is also practicing saying “yes” to things that push her outside her comfort zone.
December 1, 2018
On Deck with Emmanuel Huang
Emmanuel Huang is a 16-year old high school junior who was born in Ghana, West Africa. Adopted by a music-loving family in Camas, Washington, Emmanuel is now a percussionist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. You can learn more about Emmanuel’s journey and is deep love of classical music in this episode of “On Deck with Young …
November 24, 2018
On Deck with Leo Marchyok
Leo Marchyok is a freshman at Cleveland High School, and performs with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. From the moment he first heard the oboe, he was entranced. He has since come to love music so much he simply cannot imagine his life without it.
November 3, 2018
On Deck with Malini Ganguly
Malini Ganguly is a 17-year soprano whose life has been so enriched by music that she’s advocating for arts education as her platform in the Miss Oregon Teen USA pageant. She believes education in the arts can help increase comprehension in all subjects, as well as help facilitate a finer education system. In this episode …
October 13, 2018
On Deck with Matthew Kaminski
Oddly, it was a concussion at the age of 12 that caused Matthew Kaminski to begin composing. After a soccer accident, he found himself light-sensitive, motion-sensitive and he spent most of his time in bed, recovering. Then his piano teacher brought him an electronic keyboard and he started to create music. Now 16 years old, …
