ABYSO’s Alfranique Joseph earns prestigious music scholarship

The Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra (ABYSO) has proudly announced that their concertmaster and head of strings, Alfranique Joseph, has been accepted into the OAcademy 2024 Cohort.

Alfranique was selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates from all over the world, and has made history by becoming the first Antiguan and Barbudan to receive this honourable recognition.

The OAcademy fellowship will run from 16th January to 30th June 2024, and it will provide an immersive digital curriculum to its fellows, along with short in-person residency opportunities.

The programme is designed to combine high-level performance training with leadership development and industry preparation, all under the guidance of world-class faculty and mentors.

As an OAcademy fellow, Alfranique will focus on core orchestral and solo repertoire, attend masterclasses with some of the world’s most prominent musicians, develop her performance mindset, and enhance her artistic branding.

To further enrich her experience, she will also have the opportunity to join an immersive week-long residency in either the United States of America or Mexico, which will focus on different repertoire and allow fellows to perform together in different contexts, experiment, and grow professionally.

Alfranique expressed her gratitude for this prestigious opportunity, stating, “It is truly a humbling feeling to be accepted as a fellow and to participate in such a prestigious programme.

A big “THANK YOU” goes out to the ABYSO, its mentorship programme and its many partners, for providing the avenue where young musicians like myself can rub shoulders and learn from the greats in this field.”

ABYSO Chair, High Commissioner Karen-Mae Hill, extended her warmest congratulations to Alfranique on behalf of the Patrons and Board of Directors of the ABYSO. She stated: “Our vision is to transform lives through the incredible power of music.

The ABYSO will continue to challenge our youth to think higher and to reach broadly, using their developing skills to benefit not just themselves, but the wider Antiguan and Barbudan community. All good things are achievable through discipline, vision and an attitude humble enough to learn.”

 It’s worth noting that Alfranique started her musical journey at the age of 8 in Antigua, where she was introduced to the piano.

Shortly after, she was gifted with her first violin, and has been inseparable from the instrument ever since. She is a past student of the St. Andrew’s Primary and the Antigua Girls’ High School, and holds a BA in Music with an emphasis on education from the University of the Southern Caribbean.

Currently, she is a teacher at the St. Mary’s Secondary School where she teaches music and English.