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McLean Euphonium Player to be Featured on NPR

Joe Broom, a 17-year-old euphonium player from McLean, will be featured on an upcoming episode of the National Public Radio program “From the Top,” which is hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley and features young classical musicians from across the nation. The episode will air nationally this week and on WETA 90.9 this Sunday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m.

The episode was taped before a live audience at the Peace Center for Performing Arts in Greenville, SC.
Broom and O’Riley collaborated on “Euphonium Fantasy,” a Spanish-flavored composition by Scottish composer Bruce Fraser.

“Performing with Mr. O’Riley was an incredible experience,” Broom said. “I hope listeners have as much fun hearing the show as we did playing.”

From the Top’s music director Tom Vignieri heaped praised on Broom, who is a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. “To hear Joe Broom play is to hear something truly astonishing,” Vignieri said.

“He makes the euphonium seem limitless in its expressive possibilities, both lyrically and virtuosically. I have a new appreciation for the instrument and a great deal of respect for Joe’s abilities.”

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