Leila performs on Show 484.

Leila Mostaghimi (clarinet), 16, from Newton, Massachusetts, is a student at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School (NEC Prep), where she studies with Kai-Yun Lu on clarinet and Yukiko Takagi on piano.

Leila was recently selected as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) for the 2026 season. This follows her 2025 season with the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2). She is also the principal clarinet of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the Senior Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble at NEC Prep. Leila actively competes as a soloist and was given the Shining Star Award at the 2025 Silverstein International Clarinet Competition.

Beyond the orchestral world, Leila finds joy and freedom in playing jazz. She is currently the lead alto saxophonist and clarinetist for the Beantown Swing Orchestra and the Newton South High School Jazz Ensemble. In 2025, she traveled to New York as a finalist in the Essentially Ellington competition with her school jazz ensemble, where she earned an Outstanding Clarinet award.

As an artist and performer, Leila is inspired by the way music enables both the performer and the listener to connect in an immersive experience. She aims to create that shared presence in every performance, whether on the orchestral stage or the bandstand. When she is not practicing or on stage, she enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies and writing poetry.

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.