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.
September 30, 2017
On Deck with Vivian Britton
Vivian Britton is a 16-year old violist who Christa met at a summer music camp: YMA (Young Musicians and Artists). She also performs with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Vivian is proud of her finger calluses as well as the mark the viola leaves on her neck. She also loves to head-bang to Mahler.
September 23, 2017
On Deck with Derek Lund
Derek Lund is a 16-year old bassoonist, and a junior at Reynolds High School. In this episode of “On Deck with Young Musicians”, he’ll tell us why he got involved in music (spoiler: it was to meet girls) and why he’s decided to join both the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony this year.
September 9, 2017
On Deck with Benjamin Frueh
We met violinist Benjamin Frueh this summer at YMA: Young Musicians and Artists, a residential music camp in Salem. At just 12-years old, Benjamin was appointed concertmaster of the YMA orchestra. In this episode of “On Deck”, we learn more about this young man, his passion for music, and his plans for his future. Below, …
July 22, 2017
On Deck with Scott Hermanns
Scott Hermanns is a 17-year old high school senior who has a deep passion for both violin and acting. He definitely wants to pursue a career in the performing arts, just as his parents did. (Scott’s dad, Don Hermanns, plays bass in the Oregon Symphony and his mom is pianist Susan Dewitt-Smith.) Scott is one …
July 8, 2017
On Deck with Izzy Schulenburg
In the Fall Izzy Schulenburg will be a senior at Cleveland High School in Portland; she transferred there from Grant High School a year ago after experiencing anxiety as a result of bullying. As she’ll gladly tell you, music is Izzy’s life – she is both a clarinetist and a singer. She’s quite a good …
June 10, 2017
On Deck with Henry Talbott & Katie Palka
Robert McBride guest hosts this episode of “On Deck”: he talks with two of the teenagers participating in Fear No Music’s Young Composer Project: Katie Palka and Henry Talbott. Katie’s composition (“Ballad of the Time Guardian”) is inspired by Big Stump: a 2000 year old redwood tree stump in Waldport, Oregon. Henry’s composition (“Space Opera …
May 20, 2017
On Deck with the Orpheus Academy
In this episode of “On Deck” we go inside the Orpheus Academy, a two-week summer music program for high school- and college-aged musicians. Rehearsals and concerts occur in downtown Portland; the Orpheus Academy offers young musicians the chance to perform challenging repertoire in a professional setting within a small, chamber-style orchestra.
May 6, 2017
On Deck with Joshua Ji
Pianist Joshua Ji is the youngest of the nine winners of a spot on this year’s MetroArts Young Artists Debut concert. A seventh-grader, Joshua is just 12-years old! In this episode of “On Deck” we’ll learn about Joshua’s busy life, and how he schedules his time in order to be efficient and productive.
April 29, 2017
On Deck with Aishani Saha
Aishani Saha is a soprano and a junior at Westview High School. She learned Indian classical singing at a young age, then fell in love with musical theater… but last year she won a role in Portland Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and that changed everything.
April 22, 2017
On Deck with Aaron Greene
Aaron Greene is a 15-year old high school sophomore who plays violin with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and has won a spot on this year’s MetroArts Young Artists Debut concert (May 9th at Lincoln Hall). In this episode of “On Deck,” Aaron talks about a recent transformative moment with PYP, as well as a funny …
