
On Deck with Young Musicians – showcasing the incredibly talented young musicians who live and perform in the Pacific Northwest. This weekly interview segment highlights their many accomplishments. Hosted by Christa Wessel, Adam Eccleston, Raúl Gómez-Rojas, and Amy Faust, the program reveals a deep appreciation for the value of youthful energy in the world of classical music.
If you know of a young musician who should be profiled On Deck, please email Christa Wessel at christa@allclassical.org.
Follow On Deck with Young Musicians on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
Support for On Deck comes from individual donors. Additional support comes from Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

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

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

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

December 18, 2021
On Deck with Elijah Zacharia
Violist Elijah Zacharia was only 11-years old when he joined the most advanced ensemble at the Portland Youth Philharmonic, a remarkable achievement at such young age. Now a 16-year-old homeschooled junior, he chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the reasons why he chose the viola when he was only 3 years old, the importance of youth… More

November 20, 2021
On Deck with Jackson Grace
Jackson Grace is a 17-year-old senior at Franklin High School. In this episode of On Deck, Jackson chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his beginnings in piano (which involve playing a video game!) as well as his current musical adventures: playing jazz with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz Ensemble, and writing music with FearNoMusic’s Young Composers… More

November 13, 2021
On Deck with Elaina Rae Stuppler
Amy Faust checks in with composer and multi-instrumentalist Elaina Rae Stuppler, and then finds it’s impossible to squeeze all of her career highlights into a 9-minute episode, even though she’s only in the 8th grade! A recent transplant from the Los Angeles area, Elaina is the first recipient of the Luna Lab fellowship, a new… More

October 30, 2021
On Deck with Trinity Goff
19-year old pianist Trinity Goff chats with Christa Wessel about stage fright, improvisation and about her upcoming performance on Cognizart’s Young Artists Debut concert on November 19. Trinity is a freshman at Willamette University and is majoring in music and in German. In addition to focusing on her goal of becoming a professional concert pianist,… More

October 23, 2021
On Deck with Adrian Hsieh
Adrian Hsieh, 17, is a junior at Corvallis High School who has been playing cello since the age of four and piano since the age of six. On this episode of On Deck, Adrian speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about being one of the winners of the 2021 Young Artists Debut! Van Buren Concerto Competition by… More

October 16, 2021
On Deck with Katie Liu
Amy Faust gets to know Katie Liu, who, as a winner of the Cognizart competition, will be performing with members of the Oregon Symphony at the Young Artist Debut Concert on November 19th. A freshman at St. Mary’s Academy and a violinist and pianist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Katie loves to perform for any… More