Discover the Amazing Minds and Compositions of
THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSICAL PRODIGIES

At the age of 16, Alexander Prior is one of the most talented and prolific young British composers of our time. A student at the prestigious St. Petersburg Conservatory with more than 40 concertos to his name, Prior has already been crowned the runner-up at the renowned Leeds Conductors Competition and has been featured in a prime-time documentary series on England’s Channel 4 network.

The new American Public Television-distributed series THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSICAL PRODIGIES, releasing to public television stations nationwide beginning April 1, 2010, follows Alexander on a unique global mission. Alexander ventures to China and America to recruit four of the world’s best young musicians, all between the ages of 8 and 15, to play in a concerto at one on England’s landmark music centers. 

Beginning in Miami, Fla., Alexander auditions five of America’s best young talents – two violinists, two cellists, and a harpist – who have flown in from all corners of the country, culminating in a high-pressure public recital. In the second episode, Alexander travels to Shanghai to find four of the country’s best piano students, with the help of two piano professors at the Shanghai Conservatory.

With the four soloists selected, Alexander travels to the shores of Russia’s Lake Ilmin in search of inspiration. He faces a unique task – to write an epic concerto which will do justice to all of their remarkable talents. The composition will require a delicate balance of artistic and management issues, the prodigies demand re-writes and changes to the finished product. With only a week of preparation before the concert, Alexander faces the most difficult challenge of his young career.

An intriguing look into the musical mind and the art of composition, THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSICAL PRODIGIES is an unforgettable and insightful series.

Read details about each of the three Episodes