Miles performs on Show 435.

Miles Levine (cello), 16, hails from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York and is a student at Hastings High School. He began studying cello at age four at The School for Strings in New York City with Alex Croxton, and he currently studies at Juilliard Pre-college under the tutelage of Astrid Schween. At 13, Miles gave his orchestral debut, and has played in venues such as Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Hall, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Dimenna Center for Classical Music.

Miles has received numerous awards and accolades, including first prize at the New York International Classical Music Competition, Yonkers Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and Medici International Music Competition, as well as gold prize at the Camerata Artists International Competition. He has also been recognized with second prize at the International Grande Music Competition, third prize at the Bellagrande International Music Competition, a special recognition award at the New York Chamber Players Orchestra Concerto Competition, and the Christine Nelson Memorial Scholarship. He has attended summer programs such as Meadowmount and the Heifetz International Institute, and will be joining the Perlman Music Program the summer of 2023.

Miles has played in masterclasses for esteemed musicians David Geber, Rebecca Fisher, Julia Lichten, Steven Doane, Alan Stepansky, Elizabeth Simkin, Shai Wosner, Amy Yang, and Melissa White. He also has substantial chamber music experience, studying at New York Youth Symphony, Juilliard, Heifetz, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and more.

When not immersing himself in music, Miles enjoys reading – especially Tolkien – and playing board games with friends.

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.

Prizing versatility as the key to the future of classical music, pianist Peter Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms.

He is heard nationwide as the  host of NPR’s beloved program From the Top.  He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad. 

In 2020, Mr Dugan performed with Joshua Bell on a PBS Broadcast “At Home with Music” and appeared on  the album of the same name on Sony Classical. He was also featured on PBS Great Performances with mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan for the series “Now Hear This”.

A sought-after multi-genre artist, Mr. Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Itzhak Perlman and Renee Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close. Mr Dugan’s debut performances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony were described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the SF Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic.” The Wall Street Journal described Mr. Dugan’s collaboration with violinist Charles Yang as a “classical-meets-rockstar duo.” Mr. Dugan has been presented in chamber music recitals by Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Music at Menlo, Moab Music Festival, and recently in recital with Joshua Bell at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival.  He was the 2019 featured recitalist for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and has soloed with the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, New World Symphony, and Mid-Texas Symphony.

His album with baritone John Brancy –  A Silent Night: A WWI Memorial in Song – pays homage to composers who lived through, fought in, and died in the Great War. Brancy and Dugan toured this program across North America in commemoration of the centennial of WWI, including performances at The Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, Stanford University, the United States Naval Academy, and the Smithsonian Institute.  Together Brancy and Dugan won first prize at the 2018 Montreal International Music Competition and second prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. He can also be heard as the piano soloist on a recording of Ives’ Fourth Symphony from Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, a recording which the New York Times named one of the top classical albums of 2019. 

Mr. Dugan advocates the importance of music in the community and at all levels of society.  As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, he has traveled to dozens of schools in the greater New York area, performing for students and encouraging them to use their talents – their superpowers – for good.

Mr. Dugan holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Matti Raekallio. He was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholar, College Scholar, and Graduate Scholar awards.

He resides in New York City with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, and serves on the piano faculty at the Juilliard School Evening Division. Mr. Dugan is a Yamaha Artist.