Chasing Dreams for Later Light Program Book

2025 2026

CHASING DREAMS for LATER LIGHT Chamber music by Artistic Director Oliver Caplan NOVEMBER 15 | 8 PM MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER CAMBRIDGE, MA + LIVE ON YOUTUBE NOVEMBER 16 | 4 PM FIRST PARISH SUDBURY SUDBURY, MA

2025 2026

UP NEXT BLOOM, BLAZE,

CHASING DREAMS

FAMILY PHOTOS

LU YU:

FALL, FROST

FOR LATER LIGHT

JAN 17

CENTER STAGE

SEP 27 & 28

NOV 15 & 16

JAN 30–FEB 1

MARCH 14 & 15

JUVENTAS X

AROUND THE WORLD

MUSIC

NAVONA RECORDS

IN 80 MINUTES

IN BLOOM

MAY 2

MAY 16 & 17

JUNE 14 & 21

juventasmusic.org

CHASING DREAMS for LATER LIGHT Chamber music by Artistic Director Oliver Caplan

NOVEMBER 15 | 8 PM | MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER + LIVE ON YOUTUBE NOVEMBER 16 | 4 PM | FIRST PARISH SUDBURY

Lunastella Fuga (2012) Ryan Shannon, violin; Justin Ouellet, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Nicholas Johnson, cello; Nathan Varga, double bass

To the Sea (2013) Ryan Shannon, violin; Justin Ouellet, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Nicholas Johnson, cello

Green Mountain Fugue (2025) Kristo Kondakçi, conductor; Nicholas Southwick, flute; Catherine Weinfield-Zell, oboe; Ryan Shannon, violin; Justin Ouellet, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Nicholas Johnson, cello

~Intermission~ All the Wings You Gave Us (2018) Nicholas Southwick, flute; Celine Ferro, clarinet/bass clarinet; Sam Childers, bassoon; Catherine Weinfield-Zell, oboe/English horn; Anne Howarth, horn

Chasing Dreams for Later Light (2014) I. Allegro II. Romanza III. Finale Kristo Kondakçi, conductor; Nicholas Southwick, flute/piccolo; Catherine Weinfield-Zell, oboe/English horn; Celine Ferro, clarinet; Anne Howarth, horn; Sam Childers, bassoon; Ryan Shannon, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Nicholas Johnson, cello; Nathan Varga, double bass Alex Ripley and Ted Steinemann have generously sponsored our November 15 Livestream.

Jane Parkin Kullmann has generously sponsored our November 15 “Meet the Artists” Reception.

This program is supported by an Operating Support Grant from the Mass Cultural Council’s Portfolio Program; and by grants from the Cambridge Arts Council and the Sudbury Cultural Council, local agencies that are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Share your photos and videos on social media and tag @JuventasMusic!

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JUVENTAS NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE Juventas New Music Ensemble is a dynamic contemporary chamber group with a special focus on emerging voices.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

We reimagine classical music as a vibrant living art form, uplifting rising voices and bringing audiences music from a diverse array of composers that live in today’s world and respond to our time.

Meghan Guidry

Juventas has earned a reputation as a curator, with a keen eye for new talent. Since our founding in 2005, we have performed the music of over 300 living composers. Our musicians champion these artists with exceptional professional performances that open doors.

From climate change to mental health, our programs speak to the most critical topics of the 21st century. Our concerts center on the human experience, featuring deeply personal music that fosters conversation and reflection.

John Carey President

Andrew Wilkins Treasurer Clerk

Minjin Chung Lynn Eustis Meg Fuchs Carson Cooman Leslie Jacobson Kaye Karen Ruymann Oliver Caplan ex officio

STAFF Oliver Caplan Artistic Director

Kyla Blocker

General Manager

Saskia den Boon Grants Coordinator Graphic Designer

Molly Breen-Aronson Development Coordinator

Our work has been recognized with multiple American Prize wins and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, New Music USA and Boston Foundation. Juventas has been featured on over a dozen recording projects, including albums from Albany Records, Navona, New Dynamic and RMN Classical.

John A. Carey has generously sponsored Juventas New Music Ensemble’s 2025-26 Mainstage Season.

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Aimee Lents

Arts Administration Intern

Mark Vranos

Arts Administration Intern

A COMPOSER’S JOURNEY The works on this program weave through my journey as a composer over the past 13 years.

The story begins with my 2012 work Lunastella Fuga (the first work in today’s concert). When the Riverdale Sinfonietta in New York City commissioned the piece, Artistic Director Mark Mandarano said something to the effect of “Wouldn’t it be delightful if you wrote a fugue?”

Naively, I exclaimed: “I’d love to!”

The thing is, the fugue is a rather tricky musical form. There are entire treatises on the matter! Yes, Bach wrote over a hundred of them, but there’s a reason he is on a pedestal. The heart of a fugue is a strong melody, with a catchy element that will alert the listener each time it is re-introduced.

But the melody must be just so. As the piece unfolds, it will be layered with an “answer” melody, a “counter subject,” and more. And it must follow a set of rules, devised in the 17th and 18th centuries; or at the very least, defy them with intention.

After a morning of “getting in the mood,” a playful little ditty came to me fairly quickly.

Feeling proud of myself, I called it a day. The next morning, I returned to my melody, ready to spin it into a proper fugue. However, it became immediately apparent that this tune, however charming I might have thought it was, would not be suitable for a fugue.

No worries! I set it aside and began again. This time, something in a different direction—stately, yet somber. Feeling good, I called it a day once more. And yet, tomorrow, I faced the same challenge. My new melody might make a strong centerpiece for a new work. But try as I might, I couldn’t seem to make a fugue out of it. Was I a little frustrated? Sure. But this was only day three or four, and these things happen. My third effort had qualities of fanfare, with wide ascending intervals. Nope! What if I inverted it, with deep, descending gestures? You can guess where this is going. A few weeks passed, and with six themes tossed out, I was beginning to get concerned. Okay, I was in a full-on panic!

Not the best way to head into a cabin trip in New Hampshire, an annual tradition with my best friends. It was an extravagance I no longer had time for. Of course, that is when we all need a break the most. Camaraderie, laughter and the awe-inspiring beauty of nature all worked their magic. The s’mores didn’t hurt either. I returned from the woods, penned the melody that would become Lunastella Fuga, and the piece flowed quickly from there. As they say, seventh time’s a charm!

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A year later, in 2013, the Firebrand Concert Series commissioned a string quartet, as part of my year-long appointment as their Composer-in-Residence. The work would be inspired by Bike to the Sea, a community group that converted an old rail line into a corridor of green space. Searching for just the right melody, I flipped through my sketchbook for ideas. And there it was: rejected fugue theme #5! Ten seconds of music on the cutting room floor became a twenty minute string quartet, To the Sea (the second work in today’s concert).

In 2014, my mentor Bill Scribner, commissioned a three-movement nonet for the Bronx Arts Ensemble. This time it was rejected fugue theme #6, which became source material for Chasing Dreams for Later Light (the fifth and final work in today’s concert). Now leaving my rejected fugue melodies behind…

Bill passed away in 2016, a heart-wrenching blow to the New York music community. Bill was the founder of the Bronx Arts Ensemble. He led the organization for 44 years, while also performing bassoon on its stage. Lifting young artists, like me, was Bill’s guiding light. He offered us countless opportunities to grow on a professional stage, indulgences that might be unthinkable with other organizations. I’ll never forget the time Bill lifted a Steinway concert grand to the lawn of Van Cortlandt Park so a talented high school pianist could perform with the Bronx Arts Ensemble in their annual Memorial Day concert. It was the only piece in the entire concert that made use of this piano. That was Bill. The Bronx Arts Ensemble commissioned All the Wings You Gave Us (the fourth work in today’s concert) in Bill’s memory, premiering it in 2018 with a quintet of his dear colleagues. The piece opens with a bassoon solo, and I always imagine him playing it.

To reach the last work in this program’s constellation, we must fast forward to 2025.

In all this time, I had not dared to even consider writing another fugue. Wasn’t one enough?! Then the Copeland family commissioned me to write a sextet, in honor of their beloved matriarch Lynda, a pillar of the music community in Southern Vermont.

I could have taken any number of approaches to this piece, and the Copelands afforded me wide artistic latitude. But try as I might to avoid it, there was one inescapable fact: Lynda’s license plates. One read “JS BACH” and the other “FUGA.” Green Mountain Fugue (the third work in today’s concert) was born.

Thank you for joining us in the concert hall today, and I hope you enjoy this journey through my music.

Sincerely,

Oliver Caplan Composer, Artistic and Executive Director 6

PROGRAM NOTES Lunastella Fuga (2012) Lunastella Fuga was composed following that summer cabin trip in New Hampshire, with best friends Meg, Jason and Marie; and future-husband Chris. We took a row boat out at midnight, under the otherworldly light of a blue moon and gaped at the stars. Large constellations catch the eye first—Orion, Ursa Major, Aquarius—but their constituent triangles and squares are echoed infinitely, a giant fractal, incessantly permeating the firmament. Fugue is a compositional technique built on a melodic theme, first introduced in a single voice (in this piece, the cellos) and then spiraled throughout the other voices of the ensemble. The theme thrusts forward, transforming as it weaves amidst the voices— augmented, diminished, transposed to other pitches, and so on. The fugue theme seems to be heard everywhere, an astral echo of music in the air.

To the Sea (2013) Like tributaries that converge to form rivers that flow into the sea, communities are built by individuals who collaborate to achieve something greater than the sum of their parts.

To the Sea draws on this idea, with individual musicians of the string quartet contributing musical fragments that weave together to form a larger melody. The title of the piece draws upon “Bike to the Sea,” a rails-to-trails project in Massachusetts designed to reclaim connections with the natural environment and link the communities of Malden, Everett, Revere and Saugus with the Lynn waterfront. For the past twenty years, “Bike to the Sea” has been a catalyst for community collaboration.

This piece has an additional resonance in my heart, for it was performed at my wedding, led by former Juventas Artistic Director Lidiya Yankovskaya.

Green Mountain Fugue (2025) Green Mountain Fugue was commissioned by Julia, Heidi and Laurel Copeland in loving memory of their mother, Lynda Copeland.

I met the Copelands in 2022, when Chris and I purchased a house in the town of Halifax, Vermont, population 759. I reached out to Laurel to join the Halifax Newsletter email list, and within two weeks, she and her husband John were having us over for dinner and introducing us to a spirited band of neighbors. This is, in some respects, the nature of small-town life, but it also deeply reflects the warm ethos of the Copelands.

They say the apple does not fall far from the tree, and I have learned through countless stories that Lynda, who was 96 when I first walked into Halifax, was very much the same, bringing people together, building community, and touching the hearts of everyone she met. She was a civil rights activist, regular contributor to the Brattleboro Reformer, and passionate supporter of the local music scene. If you haven’t been to Southern Vermont, 7

“local music scene” might not conjure quite the right impression. I once spotted a signed photo of Isaac Stern in Lynda’s farmhouse, personally dedicated to her.

Lynda navigated the winding dirt roads of the green mountains in cars that sported what, to this music nerd, have to be two of the most badass license plates of all time. One read “JS BACH” and the other “FUGA.” With that in mind, I could think of no more fitting musical tribute for Lynda than a fugue. A fugue is a musical form that begins with the first “voice” (represented by one or more instruments) introducing a melody, known as the “subject.” A second voice enters and picks up the subject, while the first proceeds to a musical “answer.” A third voice then enters and we’re off! I crafted this four-voice fugue to represent Lynda and her three daughters. Lynda lives on through these three incredible women, community pillars and music lovers in their own right.

Above all, Green Mountain Fugue is a piece about family, love, and a tight-knit community in the rolling mountains of Southern Vermont.

All the Wings You Gave Us (2018) All the Wings You Gave Us was written in tribute to Bill Scribner, a kind man, gifted musician and generous soul. Bill founded the Bronx Arts Ensemble in 1972 and led the organization for over 40 years. He understood the uplifting power of music and worked tirelessly to bring top-notch professional performances to the people of the Bronx.

Bill was passionately devoted to investing in the next generation of artists and creating opportunities for young musicians. I am forever grateful to have been one of these musicians. As a young composer, Bill mentored me and fostered some of my first professional engagements. When someone believes in you, they brighten your life for good. Experiences working with Bill and the Bronx Arts Ensemble helped nurture my growth as I honed my voice as an artist. I am just one of many. Bill touched the lives and hearts of countless community members, and his work lives on in the music we continue to make.

Chasing Dreams for Later Light (2014) During my slumbers, I’ve composed fantastical works, often for symphonies and choruses of an unimaginable scale. Only once was I truly able to remember a melody from sleep, just long enough to grab a sheet of paper. It was a single line for solo cello.

This piece is an ode to dreams, those dark blossoms that unfurl themselves in an intoxicating fantasy of sleep. Dreams harbor new realms of adventure and possibility and illuminate lurking shadows of our darkest fears. Yet just when they seem at their apex of clarity, dreams vanish into thin air, like fog in the floodlights of morning sunshine. We are left only with fleeting wisps of a world that might have been, a parallel reality deep inside our souls.

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A composer’s charge is to forever chase those threads. For through music, we can—once in a blue moon—retrieve that which is softly unsaid.

Raspberry Man (2011) Sculpting the Air (2011)

Spectres (2016)

You Are Not Alone (2017)

Hackpolitik (2014)

Watershed (2021)

Figments Vol. 3 (2022) To What Listens (2022) Voices of the Land (2023)

Brass Tacks 2 (2023)

Sauntering Songs (2023)

Scan for More!

JUVENTAS IN THE STUDIO OUR RECORDING LEGACY

ABOUT THE COMPOSER OLIVER CAPLAN | b. 1982 Andrew Wilkins has generously sponsored Oliver Caplan’s position as Artistic Director for the 2025-26 Season.

Award-winning American composer Oliver Caplan offers a voice of hope in an uncertain world. Inspired by the resiliency of the human spirit and beauty of the natural world, his music celebrates stories of social justice, conservation and community.

From Carnegie Hall to Kearney, Nebraska, Oliver’s music has been performed by over 75 ensembles in the United States and around the globe.

He has been commissioned by the American Wild Ensemble, Atlanta Chamber Players, Bella Piano Trio, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Columbia University Wind Ensemble and New Hampshire Master Chorale, among others. Winner of a Special Citation for the American Prize in Orchestral Composition and the Oratorio Society of New York’s 150th Anniversary Competition, additional recognitions include two Veridian Symphony Competition Wins, the Fifth House Ensemble Competition Grand Prize and fellowships at Ragdale, Millay Arts and VCCA. His vocal works include settings of poetry by Maya Angelou, Richard Blanco, Hannah Fries and Meghan Guidry. Oliver’s music is featured on seven albums and has been streamed over a half million times.

A leader in the field of contemporary classical music, Oliver is the Artistic Director of the American Prize-winning Juventas New Music Ensemble, the only professional ensemble of its kind devoted specifically to the music of emerging composers. He also serves on the Ragdale Foundation’s Curatorial Board and is a voting member of the Recording Academy.

Oliver holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the Boston Conservatory. He resides in Medford, Massachusetts with his husband Chris and corgi Simon. olivercaplan.com

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ABOUT THE MUSICIANS KRISTO KONDAKÇI | conductor, guest artist Celebrated for his visionary leadership and innovative programming, Albanian-American conductor Kristo Kondakçi is redefining the role of the modern conductor as a driving force for artistic excellence and meaningful change in communities worldwide.

As the David and Janet McCue Music Director of the Kendall Square Orchestra (K²O)—a 94-member ensemble drawn from over 60 leading technology and life science organizations—Kondakçi champions initiatives that combine musical innovation with philanthropic action.

At Boston’s historic Symphony Hall, K²O’s Symphony for Science series has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for healthcare causes through collaborations with figures such as Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo.

In partnership with Pfizer and Next Step, Kondakçi also led the creation of Come and Walk a Mile, an anthem for rare disease awareness that has reached audiences worldwide.

Residing in Boston with his wife, Chloe, he continues to design bold new projects and broaden his community-centered efforts. His upcoming season features major orchestral debuts and groundbreaking partnerships that underscore his belief that music, at its core, can unite us, heal us, and drive meaningful change.

NICHOLAS SOUTHWICK | flute, piccolo Emily Lyons and Ryan Snyder have generously sponsored Nicholas Southwick for the 2025-26 season.

Praised by the Royal Gazette for his “beautiful phrasing” and “bright and lively playing” and by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for his “admirable ensemble cohesion,” Nicholas Southwick enjoys a diverse musical career as a flutist, lecturer, and curator passionately committed to bringing over ten centuries of classical music to life in performance, writing, and spoken word.

Nicholas is a frequent guest artist of the Bay Chamber Concerts, where he recently performed J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 with Palaver Strings. He has also 13

performed Bach’s concerti with the Bermuda Chamber Orchestra and was a soloist for the Bach the European series at the Royal Academy of Music. As a recitalist, he has been invited to perform at Harvard University, King’s Chapel, Salem Classical, the University of Cambridge, and the Bloomsbury Festival, in London.

In addition to his role as core flutist of the Juventas New Music Ensemble, Nicholas performs with violist Long Okada in Duo Gwynne, holding a 2023-24 Artist Fellowship with Music for Food. He also founded the Acadie Duo with cellist Jaime Feldman, with whom he curates an annual chamber music series in rural Maine.

Nicholas has a particular interest in interdisciplinary dialogues between music and spirituality, having served as Fellow in Liturgy and Music at Harvard University’s Episcopal Chaplaincy and regularly performing for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts (DITA). As an orchestral player, Nicholas has made appearances with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Emmanuel Music, New Hampshire Festival Orchestra, Boston Opera Collaborative, Harvard-Radcliffe and Manchester Choral Societies, and Trentino Music Festival Orchestra (Italy).

A devoted and passionate instructor, Nicholas is committed to empowering creativity in the classroom and encouraging robust interdisciplinary dialogues as a vehicle for encountering music within its social, cultural, and historical contexts. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music and serves as Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College.

Nicholas completed his postgraduate training at the Royal Academy of Music, London under the tutelage of Karen Jones, Laura Jellicoe, and Katherine Baker. He previously studied at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and Gordon College. His past teachers include Marco Granados, Robert Willoughby, and Susan Heath.

CATHERINE WEINFIELD-ZELL | oboe, English horn, guest artist Described as an “arresting” (Boston Globe) and “strikingly beautiful” (Miami Herald) musician, Catherine Weinfield-Zell is a busy performer and teacher in the New England area and beyond. Having held positions with the both the Hawaii Symphony and the Florida Grand Opera, she has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the San Diego and Charleston Symphonies, the Portland Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, the new-music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Lyric and Odyssey Opera Companies, the Boston Festival Orchestra, and Emmanuel Music.

Additionally, she has also performed at the Strings, Opera North, Lake George, Opera in the Ozarks, Breckenridge, Spoleto FestivalUSA, Aspen, Sitka, Alaska, Kent/Blossom, 14

and Britten-Pears Aldeburgh World Orchestra summer music festivals. As a dedicated teacher, Ms. Weinfield-Zell is currently on faculty at Longy Conservatory, Northeastern University, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Bridgewater State University, and formerly held positions at the University of New Hampshire, Williams College and Brookline Music School. She is also the co-founder with her husband, percussionist Michael Weinfield-Zell, of Music at the Substation, a chamber music series that performed regularly at the Turtle Swamp Brewery in Boston during the 2018-2020 seasons, as well as presented a full season of virtual concerts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Weinfield-Zell’s principal teachers include Elaine Douvas at Mannes College of Music in New York City, John Mack and Frank Rosenwein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Ray Still at Northwestern University.

CELINE FERRO | clarinet, bass clarinet Meghan Guidry has generously sponsored Celine Ferro for the 2025-26 concert season.

Celine Ferro is a core member of the Juventas New Music Ensemble, the clarinetist of the Kalliope Reed Quintet, and a force in the all-bass clarinet ensemble Improbable Beasts. Seeking diverse collaborations that take her work beyond the typical concert hall, Ferro is also the clarinetist and bass clarinetist of the groove ensemble Shibui, where she can be heard on their latest album, Quint, released by Ronin Rhythm Records.

Alongside these projects and ensembles, Ferro has recently performed chamber music with Castle of Our Skins, contributed to a variety of orchestral workshops and concerts throughout New England, and even curated a unique collaboration between the Improbable Beasts and Shibui, blending together heavy metal elements, medieval influences, contemporary classical music, and ritualistic groove music.

Credit: James Jones Photography

Beyond these engagements, Ferro serves on the faculty of Powers Music School and the Winchester Community Music School. When she is not teaching, performing, or practicing for all of the above, Celine is an avid hiker, reader, and coffee drinker.

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ANNE HOWARTH | horn Alex Ripley and Ted Steinemann have generously sponsored Anne Howarth for the 2025-26 season.

Horn player Anne Howarth has a passion for small group collaborations and the opportunities they offer performers and audience members alike to forge personal connections with the music and with each other.

She is deeply curious about the ways in which shared musical experiences can invite deeper dialogue and contemplation.

Anne is a founding member of the mixed-instrumentation chamber group Radius Ensemble and is a senior member of the wind quintet Vento Chiaro. A strong proponent of new music, Anne has commissioned works for chamber ensemble as an individual and with colleagues. As a freelance orchestral player in demand in the greater Boston area, Anne holds Principal Horn chairs with the Lexington Symphony and Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra and occasionally performs with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others. Curious about the intersection between live music and movement, Anne has collaborated with Monkeyhouse and dancer/choreographer Karen Krolak at First Night Boston, the Oberon, and Tufts University.

Anne is a native of the Detroit area, holds undergraduate degrees in both Horn Performance and Environmental Studies from Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin College respectively, and earned her Master of Music in Performance at New England Conservatory.

Anne teaches horn and coaches chamber music at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Tufts University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), maintains a private studio, and is on the faculties of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and the Milton Afterschool Lesson Program.

SAM CHILDERS | bassoon, guest artist Sam is an accomplished bassoonist and educator with a diverse background in performance and teaching. His educational journey began in his hometown of Missoula, MT, where he started teaching private students during college. He has since expanded his teaching portfolio to include coaching talented young bassoonists and chamber music at the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

As an educator, Sam’s expertise extends beyond 16

A FarCry 2025/26 Season

9/20/25 | 9/21/25

Premiere: Then Is Now

1/9/26 | 1/10/26

Yeemz × A Far Cry

1/31/26

Side by Side Coming to Boston: 2/14/26 From Korea Heart Strings:

10/25/25 | 10/26/25

A Valentine from The Criers

11/22/25

Lineage

12/13/25 | 12/14/25

Schubert Octet

3/14/26 | 3/18/26

Appalachian Spring A Far Cry on Tour!

4/25/26

In the Making: Land of the Northern Frog 5/9/26

Season Finale: The Strangers’ Case

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performance techniques to include specialized skills such as reed making, where he assists students of all levels, including professionals. His teaching approach has been shaped by mentors like Roger McDonald and Richard Beene, as well as through frequent attendance at masterclasses led by the Boston Symphony bassoon section at Tanglewood.

Sam’s performance career is equally impressive. As a member of the acclaimed wind quintet Vento Chiaro, he has performed recitals throughout New England. His orchestral experience includes engagements with notable ensembles such as the Toledo Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, and Boston Pops. Sam has also contributed his talents to Odyssey Opera and participated in the Emmanuel Music Bach Cantata Series and Marsh Chapel Collegium.

Through his dual roles as performer and educator, Sam brings a wealth of practical experience and artistic insight to his teaching, helping to nurture the next generation of bassoonists while maintaining an active presence in the professional music scene.

RYAN SHANNON | violin Oliver Caplan and Chris Beagan have generously sponsored Ryan Shannon for the 2025-26 season.

Ryan Shannon is a freelance violinist/violist based in Boston. He performs widely throughout the New England area, collaborating with ensembles of any size: from small quartets to 100-piece orchestras. He has shared the stage with A Far Cry, Celtic Woman and Johnny Mathis, as well as such masters as Yo-Yo Ma and Andrea Bocelli.

Although he specializes in the newest music of the contemporary period, frequently performing such composers as Jessie Montgomery, Paul Wianko, and Anna Clyne, Ryan holds a deep fondness and love for the great masters, particularly Brahms, Haydn, and Beethoven. Ryan studied at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Lucy Chapman and Nicholas Kitchen. He is the Artistic Director of Heartspur Arts Festival in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as a core member of Juventas New Music Ensemble in Boston.

Credit: James Jones Photography

Ryan has over a decade of experience performing at weddings with the Fensgate Chamber Players under the direction of Brian Clague.

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JUSTIN OUELLET | violin, guest artist Justin Ouellet has performed internationally from California to France, collaborating with musicians from all different backgrounds. His training as a classical musician has awarded him opportunities to perform with members of prestigious groups around the world ranging from the Philadelphia Orchestra to Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a natural improviser and performer, Justin has been blessed to share the stage with renowned musicians such as Andrea Boccelli, Jón Þór Jónsi, Kev Choice, and Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg. Justin has received recognition for his talents as an artist and educator, receiving the San Jose Jazz Live Aid Grant, Academy of Gospel of Music Educator of the Year and voted best Jazz Instrumentalist by San Francisco Classical Voice.

He can be heard on a multitude of recordings and has worked on a variety of production and engineering projects bringing him to renowned studios such as Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas’s estate, where many of the great movie soundtracks and Grammy winning albums have been recorded. He has produced three solo albums, one with his band d’PaJo, which pays homage to the great Stephanie Grappelli (the d’PaJo Sessions, 2021) as well as: The 25th Street Sessions (2019), & Justin Ouellet: The Covid Sessions, which was released this fall.

He and his wife split their time between California and Massachusetts.

LU YU | viola Julia Scott Carey and Richard Mitrano have generously sponsored Lu Yu for the 2025-26 season.

Born in China, Lu Yu began her musical studies at the age of six on violin. She started to play viola as her principal instrument at age twelve at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, China. Her studies then took her to the Royal Academy of Music in London with a full scholarship where she learned under the tutelage of Matthew Souter for the Bachelor of Music degree.

Ms. Yu then studied with Marcus Thompson at the New England Conservatory in Boston where she received her Master of Music degree. Among her numerous awards, she was granted “The Young Musician of 2008” in Hong Kong. Her performance career has led to being the founding violist of the Loki String Quartet which is in residence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

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Ms. Yu is also principal violist of the Boston Civic Symphony, performs with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, was recently co-principal viola of the Missouri Symphony and frequently performs with many of the ensembles around the Boston area.

NICHOLAS JOHNSON | cello, guest artist Cellist Nicholas Johnson (they/he) strives to create meaningful art at local levels through collaborations which cross genres. As a recipient of the 2023 St. Botolph Club Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award, they commissioned and recorded a new suite of music inspired by the cosmos by Mason Bynes and Jingmian Gong, building upon Toru Takemitsu’s Orion for cello and piano (to be released Summer 2024). They perform and record with Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera, and in the 2022-2023 season returned to their native state of Florida as guest principal of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra.

In recent seasons Nicholas has performed with Boston Public Quartet, Semiosis Quartet, Winsor Music, and Juventas New Music. With these ensembles and the contemporary sinfonietta Sound Icon, he regularly works with young composers at Berklee College of Music, RWU, and MIT to workshop and record their new music. Nick has soloed alongside Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, members of the Silk Road Ensemble, and Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble performing Chen Yi’s Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds.

NATHAN VARGA | double bass, guest artist Nathan Varga maintains a vibrant career as a double bassist in the Boston area. His experience ranges from orchestral and chamber music to period performance, opera, and theater. He holds degrees from Boston University and Baldwin Wallace College.

Credit: James Jones Photography

Desiring to engage a diverse audience, he also enjoys playing original music and arranging covers with friends.

Other interests include cycling, woodworking, synthesis and electronic music, and bicycle and auto-mechanics.

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2025-26 25-26 20 SEASON SEASON SEASON

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VOLUNTEER WITH JUVENTAS! Juventas is in search of enthusiastic volunteers to support our concert performances. As a volunteer, you'll be showered with gratitude and rewarded with complimentary tickets! To become a part of our volunteer community, please reach out to our General Manager, Kyla Blocker, at kyla.blocker@juventasmusic.org.

We'll reach out with volunteer opportunities when they arise, and joining our list comes with no obligations.

MAKE A DONATION Donate to Juventas and help us touch hearts around the world. Last year, with a budget of just $169,000, we reached 2500+ people in person and 1,000+ people online.

Three easy ways to donate •Venmo: @JuventasMusic •Credit Card: www.juventasmusic.org/donate-now •Check: Juventas New Music Ensemble, P.O. Box 230015, Boston, MA 02123.

Juventas New Music Ensemble is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your fully tax-deductible contributions are essential for us to present new music.

Advertise with Juventas Advertise in Juventas’s 2025-26 concert season! Attract patrons from New England and beyond, while supporting arts in your community. Advertising supports the work of Juventas and creates good will by identifying your business as a patron of the arts! For more information, please contact General Manager Kyla Blocker, kyla.blocker@juventasmusic.org.

Make a Planned Gift Bequests and planned gifts are simple, mutually beneficial ways for you to support Juventas New Music Ensemble beyond your lifetime. You can create your own legacy and keep supporting emerging composers for years to come by leaving a bequest in your will, life insurance policy, retirement plan, or other assets in your estate plan to Juventas New Music Ensemble, while at the same time reaping tax benefits for yourself and your descendents. If you would like more information about making a bequest to Juventas New Music Ensemble or if you’ve already included us in your estate plans, please contact our Artistic Director Oliver Caplan at olivercaplan@juventasmusic.org. Juventas New Music Ensemble is a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with a principal business address of: Juventas New Music Ensemble P.O. Box 230015 Boston, MA 02123 Our tax identification number is 26-2583870.

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SUPPORTERS Juventas New Music Ensemble is deeply grateful to the incredibly generous community that supports our artistic programs. Juventas received the following individual gifts from October 1, 2024 through October 31, 2025. Please visit www.juventasmusic.org/donate-now to learn about making a tax-deductible gift. $5,000 and Above Anonymous Oliver Caplan and Chris Beagan John A. Carey Massachusetts Cultural Council Karen & Fred Ruymann Andrew Wilkins $2,000-$4,999 Anonymous Cambridge Arts Council Colleen Cavanaugh Medford Arts Council The Ripley-Steinemann Family Fund Bonnie Hirsch Louise Scribner PARMA Recordings $1,000–$1,999 Brookline Commission for the Arts Paula Luria and William Caplan Julia Scott Carey and Richard Mitrano Carson Cooman Futura Productions Good Treble Fund Meghan Guidry Leslie Jacobson Kaye and Richard Kaye Emily Lyons and Ryan Snyder Paul Monsky & Beverly Woodward Wegmans Medford $500–$999 Boylston Cultural Council Brian Cron April Durant Christie Lee Gibson & Michael Emanuel Jacob Hilley Hank & Patricia Kucheman Stella Lee Gregory Royer Steven Sérpa Sudbury Cultural Council $250–$499 Alexandra Bowers and James Liu Theo and Steve.Colburn Sarah Cummer Joanne Dreher Yukiko Egozy John Emler

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Lynn Eustis Andy Foery Moriah Freeman Meg Fuchs Lorna Gibson Myra and Roy Gordon Beth D Jacob William Krein Ian Lai Joshua Levit Nagesh Mahanthappa & Valentine Talland Reeva Meyer Bob Page and Dean Vassil Jane Parkin Kullmann Andrew and Laura Waldorf Reiss Carol Richart Lori K. Sanders & Jennifer A. Lewis Isadel & EB Saunter Lucy & Len Schmolka Ben Sweetser $100–$249 Anonymous Edward J Amabile and Mary M Amabile Charlie & Lea Anderson Robert Beagan Emily & Stuart Blitz Anne Bilder & Johan den Boon Lee Binnig Carol Bloom Evelyn Bonander Joannie Botkol Mary Frances Breen Camille Breen Chris and Margie Brown Gail Bucher Judith Mitrano David Chia Larry Cohen and Susan Worst Deanne Coolidge Laurel Copeland & John Zeber Eric & Margaret Darling Sue Dickinson Tracy Donsky Diane Droste Maggie Edinger Ann Ferentz In memory of Jean and Ken Royer David E. Fuchs John Garton Patricia and Dr. Robert Gordon John H. Graves

Louise & Michael Grossman Heidi Hellring Patricia Henry David and Mary Howarth Alyson Hudson Catharine Hyson Elizabeth Igleheart Howard Jacobson Ona Jonaityte Mari and Denys Kotskyy Kenneth Krause and Maura McEnaney Theodore Lanman Kimberly and Chris Lehner Ludmilla Leibman Harold Lichtin Beth Manca Robert Markelewicz MD May Marquebreuck Honor McClellan Ralph and Sylvia Memolo Christine Mortensen Susan Navarre and Tim Olevsky Angela Ng Joe Sodroski & Alice Noble Ayumi Okada Katie Parodi Mary Pederson and Claye Metelmann Velura Perry Maureen Peters Webster Pilcher and Sheryl Koenigsberg Brian Pingree and Alexis Dearborn Mark and Jody Raider Ian Reiss Kathryn Ritcheske Andrew Royer Nate Ruegger Mallory A Ruymann Colin Ryan Ellen Sarkisian Jon Saxton and Barbara Fox Andrew and Margot Schmolka In memory of Howard Schranz Sidney Slobotkin Kevin & Carol Smith Anders Soderquist Ann B. Teixeira Douglas Urban Charlene and Stephen Valk Dino J. Martins Elaine Walsh Theodor Weinberg & Eric Hyett

Vicki and Andy Wittenstein $50–$99 Anonymous Victoria Aparece Young Yun Baek Laura Basford John Beagan & Sarah Peck Kenneth Bigley Mary Bragg Mary Breen Caitlin Breen Thomas Breen Margaret Cain Michele Caniato Susan Carlson Minjin Chung Cathy Chung Rachel Ciprotti Johan den Boon Susan Dolan Allison Donelan Barry Duncan Mary Eddy David L. Eddy Andrew Elliott and John Varone Ellen Feingold David Feltner and Robert Edward Smith Celine Ferro William Finkelstein David and Ellen Fries Milan Galland Stacy Garrop Frank Genco James Gleason Mara Goldberg Hans Heilman Maureen Hollis Judith Insell Tim Jarrett Leonard and Terry Kahn Jim Kane and Sharon Williams Bill and Carolyn Kane Sho Kato Susan Kendall Matthew Kusulas & Jack Tamburri Amy Lee Steve Lewis Nancy Lipsitt and Len Newman George Lockhart Downing Luvisi Family Kevin Mathieu Carol McCarthy and Chris Stribakos Mona McKindley The Hollis-Goodwin Families Jennifer Moore Jason Pavel and Marie Walcott Chris Porter Janet Rothrock Jonathan Royer

Christina Rusnak Dewey Sasser Tom Schmidt Charles Shadle Gordon and Shannon Shannon Jonathan Simon, DC Arlene Stevens Meg Stone Sharon Daniels Sullivan Pinaud Publication Barbara Turen John Varone Karen Walwyn Lauri Wasson Graheme Williams Lynn Chang and Lisa Wong Elton Wong Sandy & Craig Blocker Michael Zammito Marc Zegans Up to $49 Anonymous (4) Andrew Adams James Aronson Steven Averett Weronika Balewski Skylar Lapin J. L. Bell Lauren Bernofsky Lauren Bilello Johanna Biviano Kelsey Blocker Kyla Blocker Betsy Bobo Ed Bouchard Molly Breen-Aronson Eliza Brown Monica Bruno Erin Burke Jennifer W Chan Jenith Charpintier Grace Chua Jeanhee Chung Linda Ciesielski Andrea Clearfield Charles Coe Chris Combest Joey Marie Coughlin Cheryl L Crider BethAyn Curtis James Curtis Deepa Datta Patrick Dawson Jade Deatherage Michael Delman Saskia den Boon Karin Denison Bryce and Kathryn Denney Ashley Dennis Emily Eddy Eric Eisenberg

Carl Ellenberger John Eustis Carole Eustis Beth Eustis Noam Faingold Evan Fein Anthony Ferello Miriam Fogel Anna Fogel Frederick Frank Tobin Gedstad Michael Gilbertson Charlie Griffin Andrew Haber Hillary Hadley Carrie Hammond Amanda Harberg Julia Harrod Kiyoshi Hayashi Robert Heaney Cara Herbitter Hannah Hickman Anne Hoef Susanna Hoglund Kelley Hollis Michaela Hollis Grant Home Stephanie Howard Mary and David Howarth Anne Howarth & Frederick Frank Jr. Wolcott Humphrey Michael Hustedde Emanuella Janita Kun Yong Jeoung Jon Jones James and Amy Jones Daniel Jones Jessica Kaplan Jason Kaplan Richard Kaye Zachary Kaye Louise Kelly Bella Kelly Noelle Kelly Krista Killeen Abby Krawson Meg Krilov Rainice Lai Jessica Lamoureux Kate Landishaw Marc, Skylar, Laura Lapin Kathleen Larson Day Mina Lavcheva Vi Le Jacqueline Lestina Rose Lewis Rozime Lindsey Olga Lisovska Shayna Liu Gale Livingston Gami Maislin

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on behalf of Molly Breen Linda Markarian Pamela Marshall Seth Mascolo Pranav Mashankar Patrick Mcallister Mac McBurney Kathryn McKellar Kim McNamara Taylor McNulty Sarah McSweeney Erin Merceruio Nelson Libby Meyer Krystal Morin Will Morningstar Barbara Morrison Mary Mulderig Joseph Musser Linda Ng Kaitlin Nichols Nick Norton Jessica Oakhem Luis Ochoa Justin Ouellet Andrew Pease Patric Pepper & Mary Ann Larkin Paula Petrella Kathleen Quigley Cassian Ramos Daniel Ramos Lianne Ratzersdorfer Alexander and Sabrina Recendiz Fern and Ginny Remedi-Brown Remesch Family Sarah Ries Stephanie Riley Bobbi Ritcheske Gwyneth Rix Nathan Roller David Roth John Ruymann Erica Ryan

Elizabeth Ryan Antonio Santos Laura Schaefer Joseph Sedarski Katie Semro Daron Sharps Aaron Sheehan Amy Shuman Kate Umble Smucker Nicholas Southwick Lauren Spavelko Emily Spear Beth Stotts Imogene & Bruce Jenny Szabo Barbara Tarrh Maria Thompson Corely Susannah Thornton Evelyn Trier Lisa Vaas Katharine & Dave Velleman Dan Vera Rachel Veto Jenna Wang Beverly Waring Christopher Wicks Todd Wilson Elaine Wu Alison Yakabe Lidiya Yankovskaya Steven Yao Haesoo Yoon Lu Yu

We’re proud that our donor roster includes 100% of Juventas board, staff and ensemble members, plus 35 composer and musician collaborators.

We are also extremely thankful to the dedicated volunteers who gave their time and talents to Juventas in the past year: Chris Beagan Milan Galland Elizabeth Igleheart Ann MacDonald Rachael McKenzie Jonathon Sedarski Elaine Walsh

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21 YEARS OF

Since our founding in 2005 we have held . . .

232 CONCERTS

FEATURING

336

LIVING COMPOSERS

AND

100+ PREMIERES

Julia Scott Carey, piano

UP NEXT

FAMILY PHOTOS Reflections of our multicultural nation

JANUARY 17 | 7 PM BRATTLEBORO MUSIC CENTER BRATTLEBORO, VT JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 1 | 7 PM NEW ENGLAND BOTANIC GARDEN AT TOWER HILL BOYLSTON, MA

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Get your tickets at juventasmusic.org/family-photos