Erica Liu is a violinist who studies under Marcos Kreutzer at the Hochstein School. She started piano at the age of 5, and violin at the age of 6.
Helena Dixon
Helena Dixon, who studies under Kathy Kemp of the Hochstein School, loves the sound of the cello and the musical range it has.
Ashley Park
Violinist Ashley Park has been playing her instrument for the last 10 years and believes the violin is another way to express emotion and describes it as “another voice.”
Benjamin Watson
Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra member Benjamin Watson plays both the piano and French horn. A Classical music fan since he was an infant, rumor has it he was heard singing “Ode to Joy” in his crib.
Peyton Crony
Eastman Community Music School student Peyton Crony shares how she came to pick the viola as her instrument and performs Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Etude in A minor, a piece she admits, “always brings a smile to my face.”
February’s CREATE Showcases • WXXI-CREATE
Enjoy these marathons with your favorite CREATE celebrities throughout February.
CREATE Showcases air Fridays from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.
Cultural Travel – February7-9
A trip away from home isn’t just a chance to experience a new place, but a time to immerse yourself in a new culture. Join Create hosts on globe-spanning adventures that showcase the true heart of their destinations.
Sweets for Your Sweetie – February 14-16
Be our Valentine and treat yourself to a feast of decedent and show-stopping sweet treats this weekend — there will be plenty of chocolate to go around!
Celebrating Black Culinary Traditions – February 21-23
Join us on a food tour to celebrate the rich Black culinary traditions that are woven into local cuisines from coast to coast.
Mardi Gras Party – February 28-March 2
Let the good times roll in the Crescent City as the Mardi Gras party begins and Create hosts revel in the tasty traditions and carnival atmosphere.
Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan “Bad Days, Tough Seasons or Clinical Depression?” • WXXI-TV
Kelly sits down with Dr. Leanne Williams, founding director of the Stanford Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness, to discuss mental health disorders and therapies.
Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan “Bad Days, Tough Seasons or Clinical Depression?” airs Friday, February 28 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.
They are joined by hospice and palliative care physician Dr. BJ Miller, and comedian W. Kamau Bell to elaborate on depression, stigmas and misconceptions associated with mental illness, and how we can move forward.
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race • WXXI-TV
Retraces the life and legacy of an American civil rights pioneer who set more than 20 world records in speed cycling during the heart of Jim Crow America.
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race airs Monday, February 24, 2025 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.
In a word, I was a pioneer, and therefore had to blaze my own trail.” – Marshall “Major” Taylor. He earned nicknames that often equated to the most powerful forces in heaven and earth: The Cyclone. The Whirlwind. The Comet. He earned the respect of civil rights pioneer Booker T. Washington and shook the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt, who sought out the great champion to congratulate him. Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was the world’s first Black sports superstar. Reporters simply called him “The Fastest Man in the World.”
By the time he was in his early 20s, Major Taylor had claimed victory in the world cycling championship, the American cycling crown, and had set dozens of world speed cycling records all while having to endure withering racial pressures.
Photo: Hazel Scott/ Credit: Everett