Project STEP

Project STEP + A Far Cry
2025-01-31 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Friday, January 31, 2025
7:30 pm at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, 02115.
TICKETS>>>

Project STEP’s Honors Quartet will perform with Grammy-nominated A Far Cry.
MUSICAL PROGRAM
Quinn Mason | Svítání for String Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven | Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, arr. for String Sextet by Michael Gotthard Fischer; adapted for String Orchestra by AFC
Curated by Crier Michael Unterman
Featuring Project STEP’s Honors Quartet and Student winners from the New England Conservatory Fellows competition.
Last season A Far Cry “scaled up” Beethoven’s quartets. This season is our first time performing what curator Michael Unterman calls a “sporty” arrangement of a symphony! The iconic “Pastorale” symphony is boiled down to its essence and paired with Quinn Mason’s Svítáni for a refreshing exploration. Daybreak’s sunrise-inspired program offers an escape from the depths of Boston’s winter.

Masterclass with Leonardo Vásquez
2025-02-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Masachusetts Ave, Boston, MA, 02115
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Boston Symphony Hall – Chorus Room – from 12-1 pm
Project STEP students learn from BSO Violist Leonardo Vásquez
FREE with RSVP – Limited availability – Email jodiemcmenamin@projectstep.org for RSVP

Violist Leonardo Vásquez Chacón, from Lima, Peru, holds degrees from Bard College and Indiana University. Leonardo’s parents introduced him to classical music through CDs and he decided to pursue music during his first year of medical school, realizing he preferred harmony and music history over biology and anatomy. A two-time Tanglewood Music Center Fellow, he has also been a principal of The Orchestra Now (Bard College) and played with the Evansville Philharmonic and Owensboro Symphony. He has participated in the chamber music programs of The Orchestra Now, Jacobs School of Music under the Pacifica Quartet, and Tanglewood Music Center. In his home country, he has been a guest artist in the International Chamber Music Festival and a soloist with both the National Youth Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru.

Project STEP at Rockport
2025-03-16 15:00 - 17:00 | Shalin Liu Performance Center at Rockport Music, 16 MAIN STREET, Rockport, MA, 01966
Join us on Sunday, March 16 at 3 pm at Rockport Music’s Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport MA for a free community concert as part of Rockport Music’s Education & Community Program sponsored by Applied Materials. This concert is in honor of William Moyer, the late founder of Project STEP. Tickets are FREE and open to the public.
MORE INFORMATION>>>

Project STEP + A Far Cry
2025-03-29 19:30 - 21:30 | Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Project STEP Performs with A Far Cry:
“For” Seasons
March 29th at 7:30 pm

Anna Thorvaldsdottir | Illumine
Antonio Vivaldi | Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, “Winter” (L’inverno)
Antonio Vivaldi | Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, “Autumn” (L’autunno)
Sufjan Stevens | Suite from Run Rabbit Run arr. Atkinson; 12. Year of the Boar
Quinn Mason | Reflection on a Memorial for String Orchestra
Antonio Vivaldi | Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, “Summer” (L’estate)
Antonio Vivaldi | Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, “Spring” (La primavera)
Caroline Shaw | Entr’acte adapted for string orchestra
Curated by Crier Michael Unterman
Featuring Students from Project STEP
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is a foundational work that has sparked the imagination of musicians and audiences for over 300 years. Through the lens of climate change A Far Cry intertwines this seminal work with newer pieces by an eclectic group of composers who are similarly drawn to the cyclical nature of time and its capability for renewal.

Spring Auction
2025-04-08 - 2025-05-18 | MA
Join our auction running online from April 8, 2025 to May 18, 2025. All proceeds support Project STEP’s mission to provide equitable access to high-quality music education. Everyone is welcome to participate and bid—don’t miss your chance to support a great cause and win amazing items! In addition to bidding on items, you also may fund-a-need to support our program directly.

Project STEP Spring Recital
2025-05-18 | Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Masachusetts Ave, Boston, MA, 02115
Project STEP Spring Recital
Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 3 pm
Boston Symphony Hall Main Stage!
301 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Enter through Cohen Wing on Huntington Ave
This event is sponsored in part by The Gregory E. Bulger Foundation
Free and open to the public RSVP REQUIRED (coming soon)
Online Auction Coming Soon. All funds support Project STEP.
PROGRAM BOOK COMING SOON
This program is supported in part by grants from the following generous supporters: Mass Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. This event is also made possible by the generous support of the D’Addario Foundation and The Mary Saudek Jaffee Fund.

Annual Student Spring Recital
2025-05-18 15:00 - 17:00 | MA
May 18, 2025
SAVE THE DATE
INFORMATION COMING SOON

Senior Student Recital
2025-05-25 | MA
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Save the Date
More information coming soon!

2025 Senior Student Recital
2025-06-07 17:00 - 18:00 | BSO, Higginson Hall, 301 Masschusetts Ave, Boston, MA, 02115
We would like to share and invite you to our upcoming Senior Recital featuring STEP senior students Gabriel Vignon-Villani, violin and Lorenzo Ye, cello. The recital will be this Saturday, June 7 at 5:00 pm at Higginson Hall of Symphony Hall. NO RSVP is needed.

If you would like to donate to the senior student gift, please use this link and leave a note that the funds will go toward the 2025 seniors.

Project STEP & Longwood Symphony Orchestra
2025-10-25 18:45 - 21:30 | Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Project STEP + Longwood Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Pre-Concert Reception 6:45 pm
Concert 8:00 pm
WHERE: Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA 02115
WHY: All funding from ticket sales directly supports Project STEP’s students and program
MEET: Guests from the medical, scientific, and music fields.
ENJOY: Complimentary libations and light hors d’oeuvres at the pre-concert reception and music from Project STEP and Longwood Symphony Orchestra at the concert.
BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY!
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION
TICKETS
Project STEP and Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) have partnered since 2023 to foster ongoing mentorship between LSO’s musicians and the student musicians of Project STEP. This relationship and culminating concert offer STEP students a chance to work with and learn from adults who work in the medical/scientific field AND simultaneously pursue their craft as musicians. An extraordinary opportunity.
This concert, under the direction of Jotaro Nakano, will also feature acclaimed Latine musicians Karla Donehew Pérez and Paul Laraia, both members of the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet. The duo will also teach a masterclass for STEP students during the weekend of the concert.

Community Engagement Concert at Boston Children’s Museum
2025-11-09 14:00 - 14:30 | Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St, Boston, MA, 02210
On November 9, 2025 at 2 pm students from Project STEP will perform at Boston Children’s Museum! Bring the family and enjoy a day of music, playing, and learning. Tickets for the museum can be purchased through their website.

Giving Tuesday
2025-12-02 | MA
This #GivingTuesday we are raising funds to send our students to NYC!

Tuesday, December 2, 2025
HELP OUR MUSICIANS TAKE THE STAGE IN NYC!
Double Your Impact This Giving Tuesday!
We’re thrilled to announce that two generous anonymous donors have pledged to match all gifts—up to a total of $10,000—made to Project STEP’s Touring Fund before, on, or after Giving Tuesday (December 2, 2025). That means every dollar you give helps us get one step closer to our $20,000 goal, supporting transformative touring opportunities for our students. Gifts beyond this goal will directly support Project STEP’s Annual Fund, ensuring our mission continues to thrive year-round.

This April 2026, approximately 20 of our Project STEP students will embark on an unforgettable journey: their very first tour—to New York City! This milestone trip will give our students the rare opportunity to connect with peers from the Opportunity Music Project in NYC, collaborating in rehearsals and culminating in a joint concert performance that celebrates both musical excellence and the power of community.
But this tour is much more than just a performance—it’s a life-changing educational and cultural experience.
For many of our students, this will be their first time traveling out of state as part of a musical ensemble. Touring opens doors that cannot be replicated in a classroom: it teaches independence, builds confidence, and allows young musicians to understand what it means to share their art on a broader stage. They’ll learn how to adapt to new environments, work intensively with new collaborators, and rise to the challenge of performing in unfamiliar venues.
HELP OUR MUSICIANS TAKE THE STAGE IN NYC!
In New York City, our students will:

Attend concerts by world-class musicians, inspiring them to see what’s possible through dedication and passion.
Visit iconic cultural landmarks, deepening their understanding of the arts within a broader societal and historical context.
Visit the renowned Manhattan School of Music, offering a glimpse into the life of a conservatory student and the possibilities that lie ahead.

Experiences like these are essential in shaping the next generation of artists, leaders, and cultural ambassadors. For our students—who come from underrepresented communities in classical music—this tour is not only a celebration of how far they’ve come, but a powerful motivator for where they can go.
We need your support to make this tour possible. Your contribution will help cover the costs of travel, lodging, meals, and access to enriching activities that will inspire and empower these talented young musicians.
Invest in the future of music. Invest in our students.
Above Photo by Matthew Muise

Celebrity Series Stringfest– Edmar Colón
2025-12-13 15:00 - 16:00 | Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester, 02125, United States
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Salvation Army Kroc Center
650 Dudley Street, Boston, MA 02125
Stringfest performances provide children in local string education programs with opportunities to learn from and perform alongside professional artists. Stringfest programs are open to the public, and the Celebrity Series invite you to witness the magic that unfolds when young musicians engage with dynamic, world-class performers!
Puerto Rican-born, Boston-based saxophonist Edmar Colón is a red-hot young jazz bandleader and composer who is a frequent leader and guest artist on Celebrity Series stages. Most recently heard alongside Rob Kapilow in a 2025 What Makes it Great? presentation about Simon & Garfunkel, Colón can play it all!
Colón and his Ensemble team with young string players from Project STEP, City Strings United, and Boston Music Project for an afternoon of intergenerational inspiration and artistry. The youth ensembles open the concert with winter selections, followed by Colón’s ensemble and side-by-side jazz-inspired interpretations of Puerto Rican folk songs.
