SPOTLIGHT: PROJECT STEP
This season, A Far Cry celebrates 10 years of residency activities at Project STEP, a comprehensive string training program for children from communities typically underrepresented within classical music. The residency includes weekly chamber music coaching, one-on-one mentoring, and complimentary tickets to A Far Cry concerts throughout the season. Criers also coach the Project STEP Honors Quartet, whose performances have become a beloved tradition for AFC audiences in Jordan Hall! Each season, students from Project STEP are selected to rehearse and perform with the Criers on their annual side-by-side concert at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.
We’re thrilled to welcome the following students on stage:
Afokeoghene Sekegor is a 13-year-old violinist currently in the 7th grade. She began playing the violin seven years ago and joined Project STEP in September 2024. A standout moment in her musical journey was serving as the concertmaster for the String Repertory Orchestra concert at the New England Conservatory, an experience that deepened her passion for music.
In addition to her love for music, Afokeoghene has a keen interest in history, enjoying learning about the past and its influence on the present. Outside of academics and music, she expresses her creativity through baking, practicing martial arts, sewing, and croqueting .
15-year-old violinist Oghenebrume Sekegor started playing the violin 8 years ago and joined Project STEP in September 2024. One of his most memorable experiences at STEP was performing with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra and going live on a radio interview alongside his quartet peer, Kenry Mejia. A science enthusiast, Oghenebrume’s favorite subject fuels his curiosity about the world. Outside of music, he enjoys playing pickleball, practicing karate, playing the piano, and building with Legos.
Sokki Laurent is a sixteen year old junior who has been playing the violin for eleven years. Music has taught them discipline and patience, and it has become an important part of their life. Sokki also plays basketball, which has helped them learn teamwork and stay focused. Balancing both has helped them grow as a person.
Alba Gilabert-Reid is a current senior at Milton Academy and has been playing the violin for 13 years and the viola for 6. She has studied under Miki Cloud for 4 years and is a member of ProjectSTEP and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. She also enjoys other art forms, such as singing, dancing/choreographing, poetry/songwriting and musical theater. In school she is an active member of the Student Lead Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee, as well as head of her acapella group EP!C. Alba plans to continue her studies at Harvard College with a concentration in Government and Political Science and by playing in the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra.
Ameerah Manigat is a dedicated musician with experience across multiple disciplines, from cello performance to choral singing. She began her musical journey at Project STEP through the FOCUS program for Kindergarten (K2) students. Ameerah has performed with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra and A Far Cry, and has participated in masterclasses with Sphinx Competition winners Andrés Sánchez and Gabriel Martins. She is currently a high school senior at the Brimmer and May School.
Elena Lafont is in 8th grade and 13 years old. She has been playing cello with Project STEP since she turned six, so it has been almost 8 years. In her free time, she likes to go on walks, hang out with friends and family, and drink boba. She speaks Spanish and English, and is learning French in school. She hopes to be a marine biologist when she grows up, and loves the ocean.
