Great Performances: Now Hear This

Many of our greatest musicians and composers were child prodigies. Scott revisits his own training ground, Juilliard Pre-College, to play with some of tomorrow's virtuosos. Then in Singapore he meets Chloe Chua, a 16-year old making her 3rd concerto recording. These rising stars, and their parents and teachers, remind him of the dedication and passion required to prepare for a professional career.

With luck, rising stars become virtuosos. Scott revisits the greatest of all time, Nicolo Paganini, with one of today's violin stars, Augustin Hadelich; then investigates blues genius Robert Johnson with 7-time Grammy Award-winner Keb Mo. Along with the spectacular acrobats of Cirque du Soleil, he'll discover their secrets to becoming and remaining virtuosos. It takes a lot more than talent!

Virtuosos eventually become maestros. Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Kogan and Lynn Chang became friends in college and have played together since. They look back on their unexpected careers: a cellist who explored the world through music; a pianist who became a doctor then merged those careers; a virtuoso who became an even greater teacher. Scott learns their guiding principles, in life and friendship.

For the first time in his life, Scott has agreed to compose a piece of music--and he has no idea how to begin. So he'll seek counsel from other composers, revisit his heritage in search of ideas, play landmark pieces for inspiration, and test his work in progress at his festival. His surprising journey of discovery allows viewers to experience the challenges and rewards of creating your Opus 1.