Nacogdoches High School sophomore Olivia Ajero will be featured later this month on NPR’s “From The Top” program, a series that captures the performances and personal stories of some of the top classically-trained young musicians around the country.
Olivia is also a student at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Music Preparatory Division and the daughter of Dr. Mario Ajero, SFA professor of piano pedagogy, and Gina Ajero, assistant to the dean of SFA’s College of Liberal and Applied Arts. Nio, Olivia’s older brother, is a 2022 graduate of NHS and is currently studying at Oberlin (Ohio) College and Conservatory.
On “From the Top,” Olivia will perform on the piano “Prelude in D Major, Op. 23, No. 4” by Sergei Rachmaninov and participate in an interview with host Peter Dugan. Olivia is among this season’s 108 young musicians from across the U.S. joining “From The Top’s” Learning and Media Lab Fellowship program.
“From the Top” is heard locally on Shreveport’s Red River Radio (88.9 FM). CLICK HERE for a link to Olivia’s “From the Top” episode (the link for her performance will not go live until the week of Oct. 14.)
Olivia started piano lessons at a young age with her father and continues to work with SFA instructors. She’s a winner of the Red River Radio Young Artist Competition and a finalist in the Texas Music Teachers Association Piano Performance Contest.
She has earned first class honors with distinction on the Level 9 Piano Exam with The Royal Conservatory and a certificate of excellence for earning the highest marks among all pianists in the United States’ South Central region.