Carthage alumnus wins Daytime Emmy

Tom VignieriThis has been a great year for Thomas L. Vignieri, ’83.

In May, Mr. Vignieri received a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from Carthage. On Aug. 30, he received a Daytime Emmy award as music director of “From the Top at Carnegie Hall,” a PBS program that celebrates America’s best young classical musicians.

“From the Top at Carnegie Hall” was recognized with two awards. Mr. Vignieri was one of 10 individuals named as recipient of the award as the outstanding children’s series. Editor Kevin Bourque was honored for outstanding achievement in multi-camera editing.

“I believe ‘Oprah’ was nominated in that category, so we’re thrilled about winning that,” Mr. Vignieri quipped. “It’s proof Oprah doesn’t win everything.”

The Kenosha native is also the music producer of “From the Top,” a National Public Radio show heard on nearly 250 stations nationwide with more than 700,000 weekly listeners, ranking it among the top programs on public radio. He joined the staff of “From the Top” in 2003.

“We’re primarily a radio show, and delved in television the last two years,” Mr. Vignieri says. “We couldn’t be more surprised or delighted” to win the Daytime Emmys.

For its first two seasons, “From the Top at Carnegie Hall,” which is taped at the famed New York concert hall, presented 13 30-minute broadcasts, carried by local PBS stations at the time of their choosing. (All 26 programs are archived at pbs.org.)

“That’s why they were Daytime Emmys,” Mr. Vignieri says.

But Mr. Vignieri says the format could change next spring, to a series of four hour-long programs, carried nationwide in prime time. He says the programs would include appearances by several prominent classical and popular musicians.

“We have to find ways to keep it interesting in prime time,” Mr. Vignieri says.

Mr. Halvorson, the producer, knows how to accomplish that. He has directed episodes of such popular situation comedies as “Friends” and “Two and a Half Men,” as well as closed-circuit telecasts of Metropolitan Opera performances.

“He has feet firmly in Hollywood and classical music,” Mr. Vignieri says of his colleague.

The radio program will mark its 10th anniversary season this winter and spring.

“We’re not a classical ‘American Idol.’ We’re not about competition,” Mr. Vignieri says. “It’s not just about who plays Chopin the best, but about kids who show tremendous dedication, passion, and focus in other areas of their lives.”

Several “alumni” of “From the Top” are scheduled to visit the program as part of the anniversary celebration.

“Not all of them end up with careers in music,” Mr. Vignieri points out. “They take the skills they learn to perform at a high level, and apply them to other pursuits.” He says performers “follow their passions,” and have become doctors, research scientists, and musicians in other genres.

“My friends call me the Simon Cowell of classical music, except I don’t wear hair stuff, and I don’t make as much money,” he quips.