Stillwater Violist Sloane Wesloh to Appear on NPR with The Quartet Tzigane

Stillwater violist Sloane Wesloh will appear on an upcoming NPR classical music program as a member of The Quartet Tzigane.

From the Top, a National Public Radio (NPR) program featuring America’s best young classical musicians, airs nationally the week of April 16 and will be on Minnesota Public Radio, KSJN 99.5FM on Sunday, April 22 at noon.

The episode was taped before a live audience at The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts on March 21.

You can listen online by clicking here beginning on April 18.

The show is hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley.

Sloane is a 10th-grade honor student at Minnesota Connections Academy.

She began studying violin when she was 5 years old under Matthew Green of the New England Conservatory of Music, in Boston; and switched to viola five years later after moving to Stillwater.

Sloane, now 15, studies with Richard Marshall, co-principal violist of the Minnesota Orchestra. She joined the Minnesota Youth Symphonies in 2007 and currently performs in the MYS Symphony Orchestra.

Sloane recently received a scholarship to attend the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Boston beginning in fall 2012.

Along with Sloane, Quartet Tzigane is comprised of violinist Graydon Tope, 15, cellist Parker Tope and pianist Evren Ozel, both 13 and from Minneapolis.

The quartet won first place in the 2012 Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Youth Chamber Music Competition and received an honorable mention in the open division of the 2012 Discover National Chamber Music Competition in Chicago.

They were recently accepted to compete at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition taking place in South Bend, Indiana, in May.

Quartet Tzigane is coached by Tom Rosenberg of Opus 1911 Music Studio in St. Paul, and performs IV. Allegro Molto from Piano Quartet in D minor by William Walton on the show.