Samuel performs on Show 486.

Samuel Cao (cello), 17, is a high school senior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started playing the cello at 6 years old and studies privately with Gloria dePasquale of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Samuel serves as the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, is a full scholarship recipient in the Settlement Music School Advanced Study Chamber Music Program, and has been a member of the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) Artists’ Initiative since 2020. Most recently, he was named a 2026 National YoungArts Award Winner in Classical Music.

During the 2024-2025 season, Samuel performed as a soloist with the Warminster Symphony Orchestra and the Rowan University String Ensemble as a winner of their respective concerto competitions. As a member of the Myer Schwartz Piano Trio, he has been a two-time semifinalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (2024, 2025) and a finalist in the 2024 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. Additionally, Samuel was awarded First Runner-Up in the 2022 Philadelphia Young Artists’ Orchestra Concerto Competition and second prize in the 2023 Bucks County Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Samuel has had the opportunity to participate in prestigious summer music programs such as the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, working with teachers like Colin Carr, Clara Minhye Kim, Thomas Mesa, and Julia Lichten. He has participated in masterclasses with artists like Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Amit Peled, Blaise Déjardin, Christine Lee, and Timothy Eddy.

Outside of music, Samuel enjoys debating competitively on the high school national circuit and leading his school’s business team, creating real-world solutions like a plant-disease detecting robot and a lithium-ion battery recycler. He is a huge fan of all Philly sports teams, and he spends his free time exploring the city’s many museums, food spots, and neighborhood parks.

Receiving the Award will allow Samuel to purchase a new bow and cello case that will support him through college and into the professional field. The funds will also help to cover his travel and lodging needs for his upcoming college auditions, and will allow him to network by taking consultation lessons with prospective teachers.

Peter was named Host of From the Top in January 2020.

Peter Dugan’s position is sponsored by Susan and Gerald Slavet.

Peter first appeared on From the Top Show 158, recorded in April 2007, at age 18.

Peter Dugan prizes versatility as the hallmark of today’s musician and advocates for a classical music culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all. That approach has manifested in a multifaceted and dynamic career as a pianist, composer, collaborator, and radio host.

A musician equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, he has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and around the world. His performance of Ives’ Fourth Symphony with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic” and was recorded for release; he subsequently performed the work with the Houston Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Other orchestral appearances include the Delaware, Kansas City, New Albany, Johnstown and Mankato symphonies; Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Peter is heard on radios nationwide weekly as host of NPR’s From the Top, which aims to celebrate and empower young musicians. His approach stems from his commitment to sharing classical music through his warm-hearted openness to young voices; in addition to hosting the show, he leads inspiring collaborations, conversations, and performances with the young artists.

Peter is an active and passionate collaborator who has toured extensively with violinists Joshua Bell and Charles Yang, and baritone John Brancy—partnerships which have resulted in recording projects, documentaries, and music videos, and a first-prize win at the Montreal International Music Competition.

Recent and upcoming highlights include Yang & Dugan Duo appearances at Kristupo and Rheingau music festivals, with the Malaysia Philharmonic and on tour in China; a European tour with Joshua Bell including performances at London’s Wigmore Hall and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw; collaborations with clarinetist Mark Dover, violinist Tessa Lark, and baritone John Brancy, among others, at the Moab Music Festival, Carmel Music Society, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Cliburn Festival America 250,  Café Carlyle and Kaufman Music Center.

As a composer, Peter has performed his own works everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Joe’s Pub, and his arrangements have been released by Disney+. Peter co-wrote his first concerto with his brother Leonardo Dugan. The jazz-inflected, improvisation-laced “Brothers Concerto” was commissioned and premiered by the Kalamazoo Symphony and Boston Conservatory at Berklee respectively with Peter as soloist in Spring 2026.

He is head of the Artist in Residence program at pianoSonoma and a founding faculty member of the Resonance and Soundboard Institutes at Honeywell Arts Academy.

Peter Dugan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Matti Raekallio. He resides in Montclair, NJ and is a Yamaha Artist.