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 19, 2015
On Deck with Sam Rhoton
Sam Rhoton is a 16-year old bassoonist who is deeply in love with classical music. He has also endured a number of surgical procedures for scoliosis and “proximal focal femoral deficiency” – which means he was born with one leg longer than the other. Despite those hardships, he is amazingly cheerful and his enthusiasm for …
September 12, 2015
On Deck with Cathie Youn
14-year old Cathie Youn has two nearly-equal loves in her life: music and her church. In this episode on On Deck we’ll talk to her about both, and she will also tell us why little kids don’t get nervous about performing like older kids do. I surprise Cathie midway through the episode by asking her to …
August 22, 2015
On Deck with Elise Morgan
Elise Morgan lives on a farm in Dayton, Oregon. She raises sheep and chickens, but devotes her free time to playing the French horn. She is very serious about music, traveling nearly 90 minutes to weekly rehearsals with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She also recently had her first experience as a soloist at the summer camp …
August 15, 2015
On Deck with Joanne Lee
Joanne Lee is a bubbly, 16-year old cellist. She plays with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and won first place in Oregon’s state solo competition in the Spring. In this episode of On Deck, we’ll talk about practicing, balancing a busy life, and self-motivation. (Meaty topics spiced with lots of laughter.)
August 1, 2015
On Deck with Rose Rogers
Rose Rogers is a cheerful 16-year old bassoonist who placed 2nd in Oregon’s State Solo Competition She also plays with the Portland Youth Philharmonic‘s Conservatory Orchestra. But when it comes to planning for her future career, she’s interested in becoming a visual artist. We’ll talk about her aspirations in this episode of On Deck.
July 25, 2015
On Deck with Wesley Shin
Wesley Shin is a 16-year old clarinetist. He is very involved in the music program at Lincoln High School (Concert Band, Pep Band, Marching Band) and is also the assistant principal clarinet in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Additionally, Wesley is a math teacher and is spending the summer as a political intern.
July 18, 2015
On Deck with Amaya Smole
Amaya Smole is a 15-year old violinist who was the runner-up in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s concerto competition. As such, she got to play Saint-Saens’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” with the MYS Concert Orchestra this Spring. In this episode, we’ll learn about Amaya’s love of music; about the butchery class she took this year; and about what …
June 27, 2015
On Deck with Renee & Randy Zhang
This week we’re “On Deck” with siblings: 16-year old violinist Renee Zhang and her 14-year old viola-playing brother, Randy Zhang. Both are in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and both have recently won concerto competitions. In fact, *both* won spots in the Jewish Community Orchestra’s young artist showcase this year, and we’ll hear excerpts of their performances in …
June 20, 2015
On Deck with Lucas Abrahamsen
“On Deck” Host Christa Wessel met 16-year old Lucas Abrahamsen at a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Lucas was selling raffle tickets and marched right up to her and confidently convinced her to buy one. This young percussionist has an enthusiasm for music that makes him stand out. Tune in to hear Lucas talk about …
June 6, 2015
On Deck at Ethos Summer Camps
Year-round, Ethos Music Center provides low-cost music lessons to young students. In the summer they also provide day camps. Kids can enroll in these week-long sessions to learn guitar, drums, piano and even hip-hop. In this episode of “On Deck” we visits the strings camp and learn that even absolute beginners are encouraged to attend.
