NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — A local musician’s journey to Carnegie Hall began in an unexpected place: the NYC subway.
He went from delighting commuters on a train platform to the stage at Carnegie Hall, joined by Yankees legend Bernie Williams.
Eganam Segbefia’s music is a sweet example of the talent sitting right in front of us here in New York City.
“To get them to stop and get them to enjoy the music, it’s like when they tell you to stop and smell the roses, in a sense, I’m the rose,” Segbefia said.
The 36-year-old who grew up four blocks from Yankee Stadium will perform at Carnegie Hall for the first time with Yankees’ great Bernie Williams.
“I’d wonder what it’s like in there, and now 26 years later, I get the privilege of sharing the stage with him,” Segbefia said.
Born in Nigeria, Eganam started playing the trumpet was 10 years old.
Then, in 2013, one of his friends said he should go to the parks and subways and play.
He eventually ended up playing on a Midtown subway platform and acing his audition for the MTA’s Music Underground Program.
“I pinch myself every day one, because I get to do what I love for a living, my work hours 2,3,4 hour max a day,” Segbefia said.
About three days a week, along with the connections he’s made, is enough to make a steady living.
He said he’ll never forget spotting a certain fellow artist in the crowd.
“Wynton Marsalis,” Segbefia said.
Eganam says he next hopes to take this on the road but says NYC will always be home.
“It reminds me of the grind, never to forget where you start and where you’re coming from and I get to inspire people,” Segbefia said.
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