Alex appears on Show 479.

Alexander McDowell (violin), 19, is a violinist studying with Sibbi Bernhardsson at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he also studies baroque violin with Edwin Huizinga. Alex also performed at the Kennedy Center in July 2025 as a winner of the 2025 Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program.

Alex studied with Isoa Chapman in Durham, NC for the last 3 years before going to Oberlin. He has also studied with Aimee Kreston, Wendy Sharp, Lynn Chang, Gerardo Ribeiro, Nancy Wilson, Leah Gale Nelson, Giora Schmidt, and Cyrus Beroukhim at summer festivals. He has participated in the Northwestern Bach Academy, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, the Meadowmount School of Music, the University of North Carolina Luby Violin Symposium, New York University Summer Strings, the North Carolina Bach Festival, and the Eastern Carolina University Next Generation Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. Alex has enjoyed playing in masterclasses for artists including Rachel Barton Pine, Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Elmar Oliveira, Sirena Huang. As a chamber musician, Alex has performed in masterclasses for Randall Goosby, Tai Murray, Harlem Quartet, Terra
Quartet, Amernet Quartet, and Carlos Miguel Prieto.

Alex debuted as a soloist with the Winston-Salem Symphony when he was 13, bringing “maturity and skill well beyond his years” (Maestro Tim Redmond, Winston-Salem Dispatch). Alex has also performed violin solos with the Duke Youth Symphony and North Carolina Bach Festival Ensemble. A passionate and dedicated musician, Alex began studying violin at the age of 5 and also became an avid composer at an early age. His first original composition, “Dark Woods”, was premiered when he was 10 years old, performed by Jennifer Curtis as part of the Arts NOW series in Thompson Theater at North Carolina State University.

When he is in North Carolina, Alex is an active performer at senior centers and his church.

Aside from music, Alex greatly enjoys nature, baseball, and playing with his dog, Allie.

Alexander performs on a fine violin by Luiz Bellini, 1957, on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.

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 the 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 repeated the Ives project in a series of four concerts for the Houston Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He had previously collaborated with MTT at the New World Symphony and has made other orchestra appearances with the Kansas City Symphony, New Albany Symphony, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony, and Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Peter is heard on radios nationwide weekly as host of NPR’s From the Top. His approach stems from his commitment to sharing classical music through his warm-hearted openness to young voices; and in addition to hosting the show, he leads inspiring collaborations, conversations, and performances with the young artists. Classical Sonoma observed: “Mr. Dugan’s seemingly inexhaustible energy, combined with a dedicated teacher’s heart and musical artistry, is inspiring to observe… That geniality and dynamism translates directly into his music making. One gets the feeling that he is reaching out for that magic, elusive connection. And he succeeds.”

He’s an active and passionate collaborator who has toured extensively with violinists Joshua Bell and Charles Yang, and vocalists John Brancy and Kara Dugan (his wife)—partnerships which have resulted in recording projects, documentaries, music videos, and a first-prize win at the Montreal Competition. He also regularly performs with other friends and artists who share a passion for expanding the world of classical music, from Jesse Colin Young to Renee Fleming to Paquito D’Rivera to Itzhak Perlman.

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+. He is co-writing with his brother Leonardo Dugan a new piano concerto, set to debut in spring 2026, and also collaborates with his colleagues to create electrifying arrangements of pop music. Supportive of new music, he has worked with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble and presented several world premieres. Peter is also comfortable jamming and improvising on piano and melodica with the likes of bassist Victor Wooten, violinists Tessa Lark and Charles Yang, and actress Glenn Close.

In 2020, he joined acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell for At Home With Music, a national PBS broadcast and live album release on Sony Classical. Since then, he has continued his collaboration with Joshua, touring internationally with recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall, Taipei’s National Theater and Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In Fall 2024, the duo performed across the United States, South America, and Australia.

The Wall Street Journal described Peter’s collaboration with violinist and vocalist Charles Yang as a “classical-meets-rockstar duo.” Their creativity has resulted in a musical comedy show with violist and Tonight Show veteran Isabel Hagen.

Peter’s latest album with baritone John Brancy—The Journey Home: Live from the Kennedy Center—was released on Avie Records in 2021, along with an accompanying documentary film from WNET’s AllArts. They have given recitals together at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and together won first prize at the 2018 Montreal International Music Competition. Peter’s latest project with violinist Sean Lee was PaganiniXSchumann, a digital EP release that accompanied a live performance at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center of all 24 Paganini Caprices with piano parts written by Robert Schumann.

In Peter’s performances with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, repertoire ranges from art song to American Songbook, to original songs and world premieres. The Dugans have appeared at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, WQXR’s Greene Space, and on PBS Great Performances’ Now Hear This.

As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, Peter 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. 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 New York City and is a Yamaha Artist.