Eric performs on Show 435.

Eric Zhang (piano), 17, hails from Bedford, Massachusetts. He began his piano studies at the age of five and has won prizes in multiple local and international competitions. He has performed in venues such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the Kresge Auditorium at Interlochen, the Museo del Violino in Cremona, and Auer Hall at the Jacobs School of Music.

While Eric has several awards under his belt, one musical moment that stands out to him is when he had the courage to take the musical leap into the world of jazz after being invited to perform with a jazz quartet at Governor Charlie Baker’s State of the Commonwealth Address.

Outside of piano, Eric’s is passionate about food and cooking. He enjoys brewing and tasting coffees and teas from around the world and exploring cultures through food and drink. He also enjoys outdoor activities, including biking, hiking, and calisthenics.

Hayden appeared on a Virtual Concert, December 16 at 8pm ET and Show 395, airing February 15, 2021.

Hayden Idson (cello), 15, began his cello studies at the age of four, and he is a student of Paul Katz. His former teachers include Yehuda Hanani, Ronald Lowry, Michael Bonner, and Sandy Kiefer. Hayden appeared as a soloist for the first time at age 10, playing the first two movements of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor with the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra. In the following year, he performed Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso with both the Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra and the Brockton Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he was the winner of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition and Waltham Philharmonic Concerto Competition and was invited to play Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 with both orchestras in 2018. In 2019, he won the Concord Orchestra’s Ehlers Young Artist Competition and performed Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the orchestra. In addition to performing as a soloist, Hayden plays in a trio with Naomi Yamaguchi (piano) and Joe MacDonald (violin) and in a string quartet in the New England Conservatory’s Chamber Intensive Performance Seminar. In his free time, Hayden enjoys running and learning about music history.

Hayden’s appearance on From the Top is sponsored by Nancy and Richard Lubin.