A Saxophone Samba
A Saxophone Samba
Do you need a dance break? 16-year-old saxophonist Jayme Billings has you covered.
She performs “Brazileira,” a samba-inspired movement of Darius Milhaud’s “Scaramouche” with Peter Dugan.
Do you need a dance break? 16-year-old saxophonist Jayme Billings has you covered.
She performs “Brazileira,” a samba-inspired movement of Darius Milhaud’s “Scaramouche” with Peter Dugan.
Jayme performed on Show 393 from Boston, Massachusetts.
Jayme Billings (saxophone), 16, is from Underhill, Vermont and in the eleventh grade at Mount Mansfield Union High School. She studies with Kenneth Radnofsky through New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School and Steven Klimowski, Affiliate Artist at the University of Vermont. She is a member of several ensembles including the NEC Prep Saxophone Ensemble. Two of Jayme’s proudest accomplishments have been attending National Honors Ensemble in Orlando, Florida and winning All-State Scholarships for Wind Instruments as a sophomore. Outside of music, Jayme is interested in math, psychology, neurology, and sustainability.
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.
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Daily Joy is a program of From the Top, an independent non-profit organization that relies on support from individuals. Your support will help ensure From the Top's work of celebrating the joy, talents, and stories of extraordinary young musicians.