Thirteen-year-old Cameron Renshaw, from Byron Center, Mich., is a born entertainer. “I really pour my heart out whenever I play,” he told Ellen DeGeneres when he appeared on her program at age 9. He was so exuberant he probably could have hosted the show himself. For us he plays a tricky piece on a single string of his cello by the 19th century violin hotshot Nicolò Paganini. The calm smiles on Renshaw’s face belie the difficulty of the music as he fingers wispy harmonics and leans into serious shredding.
Violinist Laura Jin, a 12-year-old wunderkind attending the pre-college program at Juilliard, might be soft spoken, even shy, but she thrives on danger. Which is why she’s playing Wieniawski’s flamboyant Polonaise Op. 4. “I really enjoy this piece because it has many technical difficulties,” she explains before launching into a thicket of double stops, pizzicato and harmonics, offering a sterling tone and preserving the splendor and swagger of the piece.
Rhyuhn Green, a sartorially resplendent 18-year-old from Philadelphia, lives a double life as both an extraordinary pianist and a composer fielding commissions. He’ll release his debut album this month. He wrote the Impromptu “Symbiosis” at age 9 and it has evolved ever since, with its wealth of hummable tunes, romantic flourishes a la Chopin and a billowing, passionate crescendo.
In the end, our Tiny Desk crew — along with an audience of doting parents and From the Top staffers — all knew that something important and kind of miraculous had taken place. Together, we created a document for the world to witness the powerful message of great music made by the next generation of very fine musicians.
SET LIST
- Nicolò Paganini: Variations on One String on a theme by Rossini (excerpt)
- Henryk Wieniawski: Polonaise de Concert, Op. 4
- Rhyuhn Green: Impromptu in F minor “Symbiosis”
