Poster Clarinetist Najee Greenlee
Clarinetist Najee Greenlee
Will Keeler
Performance Today®

Young Artist in Residence: Najee Greenlee

PT - Young Artist in Residence - Najee Greenlee - Parts 1 & 2

In the 5th grade, Najee Greenlee wanted to get out of playing basketball, so he chose band for an afterschool activity. When he had trouble deciding what instrument to play, his band teacher handed him a clarinet. Now, at age 21, Greenlee is a Performance Today Young Artist in Residence.

Since that defining moment in the 5th grade, Greenlee has gone on to win a $30,000 scholarship to attend the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. He appeared on National Public Radio’s From the Top in 2021, and in 2023, he was a recipient of a fellowship from the Aspen Music Festival and School. More recently, Greenlee was the winner of the Shepherd School of Music’s concerto competition and performed with the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra under the baton of six-time Grammy Award-winning music director of the Nashville Symphony Giancarlo Guerrero.

In the Fall of 2024, Greenlee will enter his third year of study at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University with Richie Hawley.

Najee Greenlee appears here in these recordings with pianist Beilin Han.

 


Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Ilya Gringolts

Ilya Gringolts

When violinist Ilya Gringolts was a kid in the USSR, his first teacher told him to quit the violin because he had no talent. Fortunately, he didn't let that stop him. Now, he's THRIVING. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Switzerland to hear Ilya Gringolts play Pablo de Sarasate's Spanish Dances.

1:59:00
Stravinsky's Petrushka - for solo piano

Stravinsky's Petrushka - for solo piano

When a piece is well-written for orchestra, sometimes a piano version can feel slightly empty. Today, we’ll hear pianist Ilya Shmukler play one of those piano versions, but this one has a percussive pianistic quality that makes it lovable: Stravinsky's Petrushka for solo piano.

1:59:00
Wood Notes

Wood Notes

In 1948, American composer William Grant Still was inspired by some poems about the natural beauty of the American South. On this episode of Performance Today, take a break with us and hear Wood Notes, William Grant Still's work of quiet musical contemplation.

1:59:00
ETHEL

ETHEL

Two violins, viola, and cello... usually, we'd call that a string quartet. On today's show, we'll hear from a group that doesn't want to identify as a traditional string quartet. They call themselves ETHEL. We'll hear ETHEL play at a concert presented by the Beaches Fine Arts Series in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Mahler's Symphony No. 5

PT Weekend: Mahler's Symphony No. 5

On today's show, we'll hear from a major piece that begins in darkness and despair and ends in delirious joy: The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler.

1:59:00
Gemütlich

Gemütlich

There’s a wonderful German word that conveys a particular musical feeling: "gemütlich." If you're feeling gemütlich, you're relaxed and at ease, with maybe a touch of happy nostalgia. On today's show, we'll explore ‘gemütlich’ feelings in Fritz Kreisler's music from a concert presented by the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester, New York.

1:59:00
Jane Yoo

Jane Yoo

Meet one of our 2024 PT Young Artists in Residence: harpist Jane Yoo. Jane joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.

1:59:00
The darkness and joy of Mahler's Symphony No. 5
1:59:00
Seth Parker Woods

Seth Parker Woods

Cellist Seth Parker Woods is sharing music and stories of people who have long been overlooked. Seth Parker Woods on choosing projects to uplift other voices, on the next Performance Today, from APM.

1:59:00
Festival Mozaic

Festival Mozaic

The Serra Chapel in Shandon, California, is one of the venues for the annual Festival Mozaic, based in nearby San Luis Obispo. On summer evenings, concerts take place at the chapel, which offers seating inside and out—it's just one of the idyllic settings that make up Festival Mozaic. On today's show, we'll take you to Serra Chapel to hear a flute concerto by Vivaldi, with Alice K. Dade playing the flute alongside the Festival Mozaic Baroque Ensemble.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES