SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 AT 8:00 PM ET
MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER
CAMBRIDGE, MA
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2023 AT 3:00 PM ET
PARKER RIVER WILDLIFE REFUGE
NEWBURYPORT, MA
Flocking Music (2011)**
Joshua Shank
Nicholas Southwick, flute; Celine Ferro, clarinet; Ryan Shannon, violin; Kenneth Mok, violin; Thomas Barth, cello; Julia Scott Carey, piano
Nigel (2021)**
Celine Ferro, clarinet; Ryan Shannon, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Thomas Barth, cello; Julia Scott Carey, piano
The Flamingos (2013)**
Angus Davison
Beth Ratay
Kelley Hollis, soprano; Celine Ferro, clarinet; Ryan Shannon, violin; Kenneth Mok, violin; Thomas Barth, cello; Thomas Schmidt, percussion
Canyon Voices (2014)*
Christina Rusnak
Nicholas Southwick, flute; Celine Ferro, clarinet; Ryan Shannon, violin; Thomas Barth, cello; Thomas Schmidt, percussion; Jonathan Hess, Percussion
Mari Kotskyy Juventas Commission
The Birds Suite (2023)*
Kelley Hollis, soprano; Nicholas Southwick, flute; Thomas Barth, cello; Julia Scott Carey, piano
Canciones de Monteverde (2020) 2021 AUDIENCE FAVORITE
Ryan Shannon, violin; Kenneth Mok, violin; Lu Yu, viola; Thomas Barth, cello
Wild Beauty (2018) 2018 AUDIENCE FAVORITE
Celine Ferro, clarinet; Ryan Shannon, violin
Julia Scott Carey, piano; Jonathan Hess, percussion
* World Premiere ** Call for Scores Winner
This program is generously supported by
Oliver Caplan
Libby Meyer
Welcome to Juventas’s 2023-24 Season, “Visions of Green!” This year’s mainstage programs explore our complex relationships with the natural world. You’ll hear pieces inspired by heart-rendering beauty, dramatic calls to action, and everything in between.
Our season opener “Song in Flight” pays homage to avian life. There are about 10,000 species of birds worldwide. They sport all the colors of the rainbow, come in different shapes and sizes, and—perhaps most interesting to us composers—offer a veritable symphony of song.
Every piece on this program was written by a living composer. Mari Kotskyy’s The Birds Suite was commissioned by Juventas, and this is the world premiere performance. You are the very first people to hear it! Christina Rusnak’s Canyon Voices—also a world premiere—is from her enrapturing new album Voices of the Land. The works by Joshua Shank, Angus Davison, and Beth Ratay are winners of our 2023 Call for Scores, which garnered submission from around the globe. And Libby Meyer’s piece and my own are audience favorites from 2018 and 2021, returning to our stage by audience vote, through our popular “Play it Again!” surveys.
As always, thank you so much for joining us!
Sincerely,
Oliver Caplan, Artistic Director Juventas New Music Ensemble
Juventas’s 2023-24 season is generously sponsored by John A. Carey.
Juventas New Music Ensemble is a contemporary chamber group with a special focus on emerging voices. Juventas shares classical music as a vibrant, living art form. We bring audiences music from a diverse array of composers that live in today’s world and respond to our time.
Since its founding in 2005, Juventas has performed the music of over 300 living composers. The ensemble has earned a reputation as a curator with a keen eye for new talent. It opens doors for composers with top-notch professional performances that present their work in the best possible light.
Recognition for the ensemble’s work includes the American Prize Ernst Bacon Award for Performance of American Music and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Boston Foundation. Juventas is featured on albums by Innova Recordings, Parma Records and New Dynamic Records, and has held residencies at Boston Conservatory, Harvard University, Longy School of Music, Middlebury College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Juventas has a storied history of dynamic collaboration with artists in other media, including dancers, painters, scientists, poets, puppeteers and robotics engineers. A leader in the field, Juventas also facilitates the Boston New Music Festival, a weeklong showcase of Boston’s contemporary music scene.
John Carey President
Meghan Guidry Clerk
Drew Wilkins Treasurer
Carson Cooman
Lynn Eustis
Meg Fuchs
Leslie Jacobson Kaye
Karen Ruymann
Oliver Caplan
ex officio
Oliver Caplan
Artistic Director
Joseph Sedarski
General Manager
Saskia den Boon
Graphic Designer Communications Coordinator
Ann Li
Arts Administration Intern
Sadie Habas
Arts Administration Intern
LIVESTREAM PRODUCERS
John Weston
Production Director & Audio Engineer
Daniel Schwartz
Director of Photography & Editor
Nick Papps
Camera Operator
Travis Karpak
Assistant Engineer & Video Playback Engineer
Jacob Steingart
Assistant Engineer
for Scores Winner
Titles are always difficult things for me to settle on and, during the composition of this piece, I had been struggling to find a way to convey what I thought the music was doing. One day while walking in Austin, I saw a huge flock of birds take off from a set of power lines above me and fly directly overheard in the same direction. This was an apt metaphor for the music I was working with at the time as it had the propensity to “take off” in the same direction—both melodically and harmonically—and eventually settle somewhere else before once again taking flight. Past that it’s a bright, simple piece which I hope you’ll enjoy.
for Scores Winner
Nigel tells the story of a bird that fell in love with a statue. Once, many seabirds lived on New Zealand’s Mana Island, but introduced species wiped them out. In an attempt to re-establish a colony, conservationists planted stone birds on Mana and broadcast birdcalls through speakers. The plan failed. Almost. One gannet, Nigel, settled on the island. He fell in love with a stone bird, choosing it as his mate. He built it a nest and there, in solitude, lived out his life. Nigel inspired my composition. Movement one depicts his life on windswept Mana Island, surrounded by statues. Movement two is a pure flight of fancy, charting Nigel’s journey to some kind of bird afterlife. Nigel is an act of mourning and of celebration. It asks us to consider the complex inner lives of animals that we may view them with new and radical compassion.
Nigel is dedicated to Omega Ensemble who commissioned the work as part of the inaugural CoLAB Composer Accelerator Program and premiered it on 4 December 2021 at the Sydney Opera House.
The Flamingos was written as part of my doctoral dissertation for the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2013. That work explored the relationships and intersections of text, language and music through a dual song cycle with connecting instrumental interludes.
The first cycle was a setting of three poems about animals by Rainer Maria Rilke in German for soprano and small ensemble and the second cycle was a setting of three poems about stars for bass-baritone and small ensemble. The Flamingos (“Die Flamingos” in German) is the second song in the soprano song cycle. I picked this poem because I love the colorful imagery and the comparison of flamingos to historical figures. The poem references both Phryne, an ancient Greek hetaira
(courtesean), and Fragonard, a French painter of the Rococo style (late baroque), known for being exceptionally ornamental and dramatic. The music plays with musical ideas inspired by the imagery and references.
World Premiere
In visiting a special place for the first time, we often say the place just speaks to us. During my first visit to Cottonwood Canyon State Park in April 2013, I literally heard voices. Two geese, my guess is a parent and child by the size and sound of them, floated aimlessly down the John Day River – the smaller goose honking, pausing, then listening to its echo reverberating against the canyon walls. The larger goose turned and just looked as they floated by. More impish honking and e choing, until the parent could take it no longer and belted out its own glorious honk. I don’t often try to replicate the sound of nature, but allow it to inspire a feeling or expression of its character; in the case, the sound and the feeling became one and the same.
In preparing to compose Canyon Voices, I immersed myself in the history of the native people who have lived here for millennia, of the water, food and way of life that sustained them. By 1852, up to 12,000 settlers were crossing the land annually. Grazing and wheat farming began in what is now the park in 1903. The Murtha family homesteaded here in 1918, managing the ranch until 2005. Many of the ranch structures are still standing giving us an opportunity to understand how agriculture in the region intertwines with the surrounding communities and Oregon as a whole.
I struggled for a way to musically convey all of the cultural and natural heritage that inhabits this park within short time constraint for the piece. The John Day River, a National Wild and Scenic River is the 3rd longest free lowing river in the lower 48. The geese told me what I need to know. The river is a gathering place – for ancient people, for settlers and ranchers and today for, fishermen, rafters, and hikers, and represents the landscape’s heartbeat for indigenous people who still fish in its waters. What is shared are the voices that come together at the river. Canyon Voices.
Mari Kotskyy│| The Birds Suite (2023)
World Premiere, Juventas commission
Andrew Wilkins has generously supported the world premiere performance of Mari Kotskyy’s The Birds Suite
The Birds Suite consists of three pieces using poetry of Christina Rossetti. She is my favorite poet, so I always wanted to write music for her poetries. I picked all her poetries of bird’s theme and then narrowed down to three poetries that have different style or atmosphere. Instrumentation of this piece is soprano, flute, cello and piano.
First piece is “A Bird Song.” The main character is a man who hasn’t seen a woman he loves for almost a year. He describes his great memory that spent time with her in the summer. When I read this poem, I could see the contrast between past and present along with his emotions. In the past, he had been great time with her, so he was joyful. On the other hand, in the current situation, he is dejected because she is no longer staying with him. So, when I composed this piece, I focused on the contrast in the music.
Second piece is “Bird Raptures.” Rossetti chooses the Nightingale as the symbol of the majestic beauty of the night. When I read this poem, the piano piece “Clair de lune” by Debussy immediately comes to mind. I kept the image and wrote this piece.
The last piece is “I Wish I Were A Little Bird.” This poem is a single stanza. It’s a short poem but has Rossetti’s five wishes in it. She wrote this poem when she was in her early twenties. I thought she had a sad experience and felt hurt inside. I tried to be considerate of her feeling with music.
2021 Audience Favorite
In December 2019, I journeyed to Monteverde, Costa Rica, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. After a long day traveling from Boston, I woke before sunrise to meet a local naturalist. Over the next five hours, binoculars in hand, we saw over 50 species of birds. Birdwatching revealed that a rainbow was hiding in plain sight. I was in awe of the naturalist’s talent to notice the slightest movement or flash of color. Of course, not all birds were looking to camouflage. For those looking to strut their stuff, nothing was more recognizable then their signature songs, weaving in and out of the cloud forest symphony.
Canciones de Monteverde is built on musical interpretations of seven calls, a small sample from five hours in one of nature’s most melodious halls. The birds represented are the Collared Trogan, Lessons Mot Mot, Green-crowned Brilliant, Black Faced Solitaire, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Red-billed Pidgeon and Grey-breasted Wren.
Writing this music in spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was a bittersweet endeavor. An avid traveler, I find unending joy meeting new people, learning about their cultures, and exploring diverse ecosystems. Staying at home for months on end was an exercise of memory and anticipation. This piece recalls one perfect morning. I hope that it reminds you of your own grand adventures.
Juventas Co-commission
2018 Audience Favorite
Wild Beauty was composed in response to The North Country National Scenic Trail; the longest in the National Trails System, stretching 4,600 miles over 7 states from the middle of North Dakota to the Vermont border of New York. Approximately 500 miles of the Trail meander through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where live and have spent many happy hours exploring stretches of the Trail.
Wild Beauty divides into five sections: Morning Chorus, Waves, Fog, Dancing in the Rain and Sunset. One of the most dramatic features of our region is the unpredictable weather patterns. One can experience many varieties of weather on the same day; from fog to rain to spectacular winds creating even more spectacular waves along our lakeshore. I have reflected on this from my own personal experiences and tried to capture this in Wild Beauty.
Libby Meyer | Wild Beauty (2018)A second feature of the region is the unique chorus of bird songs that are an ever-present underscore to any hike on the Trail. In Wild Beauty, I have included a few of these songs including the white throated sparrow that opens the piece in the violin as well as the songs of the common loon, barred owl, chickadee, and the white crowned sparrow.
Finally, I invite you, the audience, to take part in the performance of this piece. Members of the audience are invited to join in with bird calls to share in completing the soundscape of the morning chorus that opens the piece creating what I hope is an immersive experience.
Juventas is in search of enthusiastic volunteers to support our concert performances. We often require assistance in various areas, such as:
• welcoming our valued audience members
• handling will call check-ins
• setting up for receptions
• and providing light stage management
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, Joe Sedarski, at joseph.sedarski@juventasmusic.org. We'll reach out with volunteer opportunities when they arise, and joining our list comes with no obligations.
The works of Boston-based composer Joshua Shank have been widely performed by educational and professional ensembles alike. In 2002, he became the youngest recipient ever of the Raymond W. Brock Composition Award by the American Choral Directors Association and, from 2004 to 2014, he served as Composer-In-Residence for the Minneapolis-based professional choir, The Singers. His compositions have sold over 150,000 worldwide. Joshua earned master’s and doctoral degrees in both musicology and composition, respectively, from the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with
Yevgeniy Sharlat, Charles Carson, Russell Pinkston, Donald Grantham, and the late opera composer Daniel Catán. A native of Minnesota, he has taught at Gonzaga University, Valley City State University, and Eastern Washington University.
joshuashank.com
Angus Davison composes music with ‘bright energy’ (Limelight), ‘considerable poignancy’ (The Mercury), and ‘a respect for sound in itself’ (Cut Common). His recent works have explored topics such as the religious life of worms, thermonuclear fusion, and the true story of a bird that fell in love with a statue. Angus’s music has been performed in Australia, the U.S.A., and Croatia, and in 2023 his work will represent Australia at the ISCM World New Music Days Festival in South Africa. Performers of his work include the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Omega Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring, and Michael Kieran Harvey among many others. Angus holds a Master of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he studied with Matthew Hindson. Alongside university scholarships, his awards include the TSO Student Composition Prize, Audience Choice Award in the 5th International Tampa Bay Symphony Orchestra Prize, and runner up in the Jean Bogan and Willoughby Symphony young composer awards.
He has been selected for all of Australia’s most sought after young composer programs, including the Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship, TSO Australian Composers’ School,
MSO Cybec 21st Century Composer Program, and Omega Ensemble CoLAB: Composer Accelerator Program. He has also participated in Composing in the Wilderness, a summer school in Alaska. Angus is from Hobart and now lives in Sydney. He is represented by the Australian Music Centre.
angusdavison.com
Czech-American composer Beth Ratay is a versatile musician who is able to craft music using a wide variety of styles and techniques. From music possessed of a quiet, understated grace, to music based on mathematical concepts, to emotive and hilarious opera, Ratay’s music is engaging, charming and beautiful.
Dr. Ratay received her Doctor of Musical Arts in World Music Composition from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has had works performed around the world by ensembles such as Earplay, West Edge Opera, Coalescence Percussion Duo, the Phoenix Symphony Chorus, Ninth Planet, The Hartford Opera Theater, and the Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Ensemble. Her studies on the relationship of text to music in the work of Leoš Janáček and symmetric or layered musical structures in the music of Harrison Birtwistle strongly inform her own compositions. Ratay is a vigorous supporter of new music as the Artistic Director for the Boston New Music Initiative.
rataymusic.com
Christina Rusnak passionately composes about place and the human experience. Ms. Rusnak has created many works for our national and cultural landscapes; her repertoire includes chamber, choral, orchestra, wind band, jazz, solo pieces, electro-acoustic works, and film. An advocate for New Music, she serves on the board of the International Alliance for Women in Music. Her works are available from Amazon, Naxos and Parma Recordings, with her scores available through her website.
christinarusnak.com
Mari Kotskyy is a New York-based award-winning composer, arranger and pianist, originally from Hokkaido, Japan. Her works have been performed throughout Asia, North America, and Europe.
Mari’s piano solo piece ‘Snowfall’ was recognized at “The Contemporary Piano 2019 international composition competition” in Greece. Further works have accumulated critical acclaim, including “Migrating Birds,” selected by RMN Classical in the United Kingdom. It also features the piano album “Modern Music for Piano 2.” Exploring works using flute, clarinet and piano, her work “Colors” features on the album “AERO,” performed by acclaimed flutist, Dieter Flury. Her piano trio piece “Reminiscence” is included on the album “Focus 3,” released by RMN Classical in 2020, performed by Juventas New Music Ensemble. In 2021, she has been commissioned by Central Square Congregational Church in MA and wrote one-act opera “The Lady of the Inn,” libretto by Catherine Garrison Chapin. Also, her choral piece “I Sing of a Maiden” has been selected by Ablaze Records and it’s included the album “New Choral Voices, vol. 5.” The recording is by CORO VOLANTE choir in Cincinnati led by maestro Brett Scott.
Mari studied at Sapporo Otani College with a major in Music Education. In her third year of college, she joined the piano faculty at Yamaha School of Music in Sapporo, Japan. She also performed frequently both as soloist and accompanist.
In 2008, Mari moved to New York and studied composition at The Juilliard School Evening Division under the guidance of Conrad Cummings. She continues to study at Berklee Online with a major in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games.
marikotskyy.com
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. Mr. Caplan’s works have been performed in over 200 performances nationwide. He has been commissioned by the 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, additional recognitions include two Veridian Symphony Competition Wins, the Fifth House Ensemble Competition Grand Prize, eight ASCAP Awards,
and fellowships at Ragdale, VCCA and the Brush Creek Foundation. Recordings of Mr. Caplan’s music include his 2017 release You Are Not Alone, which has been featured on Apple Music’s Classical A-list and streamed over 200,000 times; 2021 album Watershed; and tracks on Trio Siciliano’s Exploring Music (2018, U07 Records) and the Sinfonietta of Riverdale’s New World Serenade (2016, Albany Records).
A leader in the field of contemporary classical music, Mr. Caplan 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.
Mr. Caplan holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the Boston Conservatory. He resides in Medford, Massachusetts.
olivercaplan.com
Libby Meyer is a composer whose work reflects the natural rhythms and patterns of the world around her. Her music including chamber, orchestral, choral, wind symphony, film, dance and theater has been commissioned and performed throughout the United States. An avid equestrian, kayaker and distance runner, Libby currently resides in Michigan’s beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula with her husband Evan, a Pyrenees Mountain d og, a secretive cat, and thousands of honeybees. She holds a DMA in Composition from Northwestern University and is a Teaching Professor in Music Theory/ Composition at Michigan Tech University. Recordings of Libby’s work can be found at her website.
libbymeyermusic.com
Karen and Fred Ruymann have generously sponsored Kelley Hollis for the 2023-24 concert season.
Kelley Hollis is a classically trained soprano known for her interpretations of new and lesser known works. Last year Kelley was featured on the album Arnold Rosner’s Requiem (Toccata Records), recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. In 2018 she performed a concert at the Prague Castle in the Czech Republic, along with a series of recitals in cities throughout the country, as a featured artist with the Americké jaro festival.
In addition to singing with Juventas, Kelley performs with and serves on the board of Opera on Tap Boston. In 2019 she sang the role of Rosalinda in MassOpera’s critically acclaimed production of Die Fledermaus, and premiered the role of Juana in the Omar Najmi’s En el ardiente oscuridad. Her other opera roles include Mimi in Puccini’s La femme boheme, Beth in Adamo’s Little Women (Metrowest Opera), Eliza in Muhly’s Dark Sisters (Third Eye Theater Ensemble); Florencia Grimaldi in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Micaela in Le Tragedie de Carmen, Harper in Eötvös’ Angels in America (BU Opera Institute) and Nina in Pasatieri’s The Seagull (Opera del West).
Ms. Hollis has performed twice at Boston Symphony Hall: In 2016 she appeared as the First Orphan in The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s concert production of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier alongside Renee Fleming and Susan Graham, and in 2015 she was the soprano soloist for Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, performing with the BU Symphony Orchestra. Her most recent concert repertoire includes Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, Handel’s Messiah, and Faure’s Requiem
In 2014, Ms. Hollis was a finalist for Lyric Opera Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center and in 2011 Kelley received an encouragement award at the district level from the Metropolitan Opera National Council. Kelley Hollis received both her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Boston University Opera Institute. Kelley is also a graduate of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
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,” Boston-based flutist Nicholas Southwick enjoys a diverse musical career.
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 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 performed at Harvard University, King’s Chapel, Salem Classical, the University of Cambridge, and the Bloomsbury Festival, London.
In addition to his role as core flutist of the Juventas New Music Ensemble, Nicholas serves as Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College and holds an Artist Fellowship with Music for Food for his work with violist Long Okada in Duo Gwynne. 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 theology and is currently Fellow in Liturgy and Music at Harvard University’s Episcopal Chaplaincy. As an orchestral player, Nicholas has made appearances with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, New Hampshire Festival Orchestra, Boston Opera Collaborative, Harvard-Radcliffe and Manchester Choral Societies, and Trentino Music Festival Orchestra (Italy).
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. Outside of his busy performance schedule, he loves to share the joy of music with his private flute students in Boston and the North Shore.
Celine Ferro is the clarinetist of the Kalliope Reed Quintet, along with being an active performer and teacher in the Greater Boston Area. After earning two degrees in clarinet performance from Boston University and the New England Conservatory, she went on to premier works with new music chamber groups like Some Assembly Required, and the woodwind trio that she co-founded, Mythic Winds. She has appeared as a guest with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Boston Civic Symphony, and Cambridge Philharmonic. Currently, she has expanding clarinet studios
in Boston and New Hampshire, and collaborates in a groove oriented quintet by the name of Shibui, which focuses on acoustically arranged polyrhythmic compositions. When she isn’t practicing, Celine enjoys road trips, making her own kombucha, and shark-watching at the beach.
Ryan Shannon began his musical journey in the mountains of Colorado at five years old when his father, an amateur pianist, gave him his first violin. Sensing his love of music, his parents made it possible for him to attend the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Ryan continued his studies at the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Lucy Chapman and Nicholas Kitchen, graduating in 2014. As a student, Ryan had the life-changing opportunity to attend the Center for the Development of Arts Leaders program at From The Top. Through this year-long partnership with the Hope Lodge, a residence for cancer patients, He learned that music can bring together those who are struggling through difficult circumstances. In recent years he has worked to bring this love to as many people as possible. He does this as an educator, as a member of Palaver Strings, and as an explorer of new music with Juventas New Music Ensemble, whose vivacious energy creates a powerful connection between music and the hearts of those who listen.
Kenneth Mok received a Master of Music in Violin Performance from The Boston Conservatory under the tutelage of Irina Muresanu, Ronan Lefkowitz, and Markus Placci. He completed his Bachelor of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University and studied with Lau Yin Pui at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in an exchange program. He was awarded a diploma in Violin Performance by the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music. He is on the violin faculty at the University of Massachusetts (Boston), The Rivers School Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory (Preparatory School).
As an active musician in the New England area, Kenneth’s recent leading roles include concertmaster of Calliope and second principle of Unitas Ensemble, Video Game Orchestra, and the Boston Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including Collegium Musicum Hong Kong, Boston Chamber Orchestra, UMass Boston Chamber Orchestra, and Hong Kong Baptist University Orchestra. Kenneth has performed in numerous national and international locations, including Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Beijing (China), Fukuoka (Japan), and London.
Andrew Wilkins has generously sponsored Lu Yu for the 2023-24 concert 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. Ms. Yu is also principal violist of the Boston Civic Symphony, performs with the Boston P hilharmonic Orchestra, was recently co-principal viola of the Missouri Symphony and frequently performs with many of the ensembles around the Boston area.
Leslie Jacobson Kaye & Richard Kaye have generously sponsored Thomas Barth for the 2023-24 concert season.
Cellist Thomas Barth enjoys a varied career as a chamber and orchestral musician throughout New England. He has performed with groups such as the Handel and Haydn Society, The Boston Festival Orchestra, Boston Baroque, A Far Cry, and Palaver Strings. Thomas is passionate about bringing thoughtful musical programming to the widest possible audiences; as a chamber musician, he has performed in diverse venues such as schools, farms, churches, and community centers throughout North America and Europe. His primary teachers include Richard Aaron and Lluís Claret, and he has performed in masterclasses for leading concert cellists such as Truls Mørk, Anner Bylsma, and Johannes Moser. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in cello performance with highest honors from the University of Michigan and a Master’s from The New England Conservatory where he was a recipient of the Gregor Piatagorsky Memorial Fund scholarship. In addition to his performance schedule, he maintains a private teaching studio and serves on the faculty at the Brookline Public Schools. For the past several years, Thomas has maintained regular yoga and meditation practices and is interested in the connection between mindfulness, music, and movement.
Richard Mitrano has generously sponsored Julia Scott Carey for the 2023-24 concert season.
Julia Scott Carey began her music training at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, where she received the Lanier Prize for Most Outstanding Graduating Senior. She was one of the first students admitted to the Harvard-New England Conservatory joint degree program, through which she received a master’s degree in composition. She received a second master’s degree in collaborative piano from Boston University.
Julia is the Minister of Music at the Central Square Congregational Church in Bridgewater, where she leads the adult and children’s choirs from the keyboard. She is one of the accompanists for the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the Boston Symphony Children’s Choir. She also serves as the accompanist for the Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline, the Dedham Choral Society, the Boston College University Chorale, and the Boston Saengerfest Men’s Chorus. She previously served as the pianist for the Handel and Haydn Society’s Educational Vocal Quartet, the Wellesley College Chamber Singers, and the Boston Children’s Chorus. She is also a founder and core ensemble member of Juventas New Music Ensemble.
As a composer, her orchestral works have been performed by numerous orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, and her works have been broadcast on national TV and radio in the United States and in Russia. She was the youngest composer ever published by the Theodore Presser Company. She was also chosen to arrange a folk song for Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Chang to play at Deval Patrick’s inaugural ball.
She has served as a music director or accompanist for over forty opera and musical theater productions. Productions for which Julia was the music director include Cy Coleman’s City of Angels with the Longwood Players and Alexander Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg with OperaHub. Reviewing a performance Julia conducted of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with the Hubbard Hall Opera Company, the Berkshire Hudson Arts Review said “the players and singers were not just led, but were energized. Schicchi is a tough score, and Julia stood the test.”
Also passionate about early music, Julia music directed a staged performance of four of Louis-Nicolas Clérambault’s Cantatas with the Harvard Early Music Society, which was taken on tour to Versailles. She also music directed a performance of John Eccles’ Semele with the same organization. Speaking of her performance as a harpsichordist in the Boston Opera Collaborative’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, the Boston Musical Intelligencer said, “The unwavering harpsichord accompaniment of Julia Carey richly and expressively textured the recitatives.”
Julia currently works as a musicianship teacher and department coordinator at the Suzuki School in Newton. She also taught an undergraduate music theory class at Boston College, served as a keyboard harmony teaching fellow at NEC, and worked as a musical theatre teacher at the Belvoir Terrace Arts Camp and the Boston Children’s Theatre.
Julia lives in Winchester with her husband and her daughter. In addition to music, she loves cooking, running, and spending time on Cape Cod.
One of Boston’s versatile free-lance percussionists, Thomas Schmidt has performed with The Boston Philharmonic, The Portland Symphony (Maine), Rhode Island Philharmonic, New Bedford Symphony, Placido Domingo, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Indian Hill Symphony, Lexington Symphony, Symphony New Hampshire, and The Brevard Music Centers Faculty Orchestra. A regular down in the pit orchestra, he has played for The 75th Anniversary Tour of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Opera Maine, The Boston Lyric Opera, various tours with the New England Opera, and the Da Capo Opera Company. Equally at home playing in a jazz big band or drum-set for a musical, Thomas has performed with the Boston Brass All Stars Big Band and has been the drum-set player for countless musicals in the New England area. He has performed with new music ensembles ALEA III and Dinosaur Annex as well as various choruses, such as Masterworks Chorale, Harvard-Radcliff Chorus, Back Bay Chorale, Boston Celia Society, Coro Allegro, Chorus ProMusica, The Brookline Chorus, and The Newburyport Chorale. Thomas is on the faculty at The Berklee College of Music where he teaches Orchestral Percussion, Marimba, Vibraphone, and Drum Set. Thomas is a student of Salvatore Rabbio, Pat Hollenbeck, Nancy Zeltsman, John Grimes, and Dr. Stuart Marrs. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance from The University of Maine, and his Masters Degree in Percussion Performance from the Boston Conservatory. Thomas is a Zildjian endorsed artist.
A specialist in both contemporary and historical percussion, Jonathan has been praised for his “power and finesse” (Boston Classical Review) and “exacting milieus” (Boston Globe). As a chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Boston Percussion Group (BPeG) and has been featured with Boston Musica Viva, Alea III, Dinosaur Annex and Monadnock Music. Jonathan regularly performs and records with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP Sound) and plays in the pit for Boston’s Odyssey Opera. He also freelances with other orchestras throughout New England including The Portland Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Opera Boston and the Orchestra of Indian Hill. In addition to his work in contemporary music, he is the timpanist for the Marsh Chapel Collegium and Grand Harmonie – an ensemble dedicated to inventive and compelling performances of Classical and Romantic repertoire on historical instruments. He has performed with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Aston Magna, Canto Armonico and Cambridge Concentus. In 2014, he toured Japan as timpanist for the Boston Chamber Orchestra and recently played drums for the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus’ historic tour of the Middle East. Jonathan is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the Boston Conservatory and lives in Boston with his wife Sonja and their dog, Leila.
Your gift means the world to us.
Donate to Juventas and help us touch hearts around the world. Last year, with a budget of just $167,000, we reached over 4,000 audience members in person and over 5,000 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 in Juventas’s 2023-24 concert season! Attract patrons from Greater Boston and beyond, while supporting arts in our 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 Juventas General Manager Joe Sedarski, joe.sedarski@juventasmusic.org
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.
Juventas New Music Ensemble is deeply grateful to benefactors whose generous gifts support our artistic programs. Juventas received the following individual gifts from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023. Please visit juventasmusic.org/donate-now to learn about making a tax-deductible gift.
$4,000 and Above
John A. Carey
Jon Saxton and Barbara Fox
Massachusetts Cultural Council
New Music USA
Karen & Fred Ruymann
Andrew Wilkins
$1,000–$3,999
Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Oliver Caplan and Chris Beagan
Paula and Bill Caplan
Julia Scott Carey and Richard Mitrano
Carson Cooman
Leslie Jacobson Kaye and Richard
Kaye
Medford Arts Council
The Ripley-Steinemann Family Fund
$300–$999
Amundi Asset Management
Anonymous
Chris and Margie Brown
Boylston Cultural Council
Eric Darling
Michael Emanuel and Christie Gibson
Janet Giovanniello
Rachel M. Rivkind
Ben Sweetser
$200–$299
Alexandra Bowers and James Liu
Jerry and Joanne Dreher
Lynn Eustis
Andy Foery
Meg Fuchs
Moriah Freeman
Barbara Hughey
Jim Kane and Sharon Williams
Ian Lai
Joshua Levit
MaryBeth Manca
Richard Pasquarelli
Andrew and Laura Reiss
Katherine & Bryce Remesch
Kathryn Ritcheske
Beverly Woodward and Paul Monsky
Theodor Weinberg and Eric Hyett
Laurence Cohen and Susan Worst
$100–$199
Lee Binnig
Jon Bisesi
Evelyn Bonander
Gail Bucher
Margaret Cain
Andrew Caplan and Elise Viebeck
Colette Carmouche
Mark Cortale
Lauren Downing and Roseanne Luvisi
BJ Dunn
Maria and Robert Gauvain
Meghan Guidry
Shael and Helen Herman
Jacob Hilley
Max Hobart
Maureen Hollis
Beth Jacob
Laurie Jacobs and Steven Levine
Jeffrey Kane
Matthew Kusulas
Steven Lewis
CLE Lia
May Marquebreuck
Carol McCarthy & Chris Stribakos
Deanne McCredie Coolidge
Reeva Meyer
Yvette Nameth
Linda Ng
Alice and Joe Noble
Robert Page
Jason Pavel and Marie Walcott
Jeff Pelletier
Brian Pingree
Christopher Porter
Cashman Kerr Prince and Bryan Burns
Jill Rapperport and Ian Reiss
Lori K. Sanders
Thomas Schmidt
Deborah Smith
Ann Teixeira
Charlene Valk
Emma Wine
$50–$99
Jaime Alberts
Lawrence Banks
Gail Barry
Anne Bilder
Heidi Carell
Theo Colburn
Carrie Conaway
Lora Davidson
Sheri Dean
Bryce Denney
Susan Dolan
Diane Droste
Andrew Elliott and John Varone
Deb Faling
Evan Fein
Ellen Feingold
David Feltner
Roderick Ferguson
Nancy Goodwin
Scott Goodwin
Steven Guthrie
Kelley Hollis
Mary and David Howarth
Wolcott Humphrey
Catherine Hyson
Stephanie Kacoyanis
William Kane
Ruth Kessler
Abigail Krawson
Laurel Krein
Aaron Larget-Caplan
Mina Lavcheva
Ludmilla Leibman
Harold Lichtin
Xiomara Lorenzo and Cara Herbitter
Matthew Marsit
Libby Meyer
Donna Migdal
Susan Hall Mygatt
Roxanna Myhrum
Andrew Pease
Sarah Peck
Dan Perkins
Christopher Petre-Baumer
Gretchen Pineo
Kathleen Quigley
Jody and Mark Raider
Christina Rusnak
Harshita Sahu and Peter Ruymann
Mallory Ruymann
John Ruymann
Margot and Andrew Schmolka
Rebeca Sedarski
Gordon and Shannon Shannon
Kyle Simpson
Liz Smith
Valerie Thompson
Cynthia Treadwell
J.M. Vrtilek
Elaine Walsh
Eric Wei
Up to $49
Katherine Alden
Sherene Aram
Sonya Baker
Devon Bakum
Kingdon Barrett
Eric Barth
Thomas Barth
Robert Bassett
Erica Beade
Steven Bergman
Sophia Bernitz
Vivian Best
Ian Boardman
Saskia Den Boon
Julianna Braun
Naomi Brave
Bruce Brolsma
Danica Buckley
Minjin Chung
Jane Ciesielski
Linda Ciesielski
Rachel Ciprotti
Burton Cohen
Nell Shaw Cohen
Jean Collins
Robert Conley
Ellen Crawford
Sonia Darosa
Lora Davidson
Joan Davidson
Barry Duncan
Shreya Durvasula
Abigail Dusseldrop
Christine Edwards
Joanne Enquist
Beth Eustis
Adam Fay
Anthony Ferello
Ann Ferentz
Celine Ferro
Maggie Finnegan
Eve Foldan
Ellen Fries
Kendra Goodwin
Wesley Goodwin
Louise Grossman
Michael Grossman
Amanda Harberg
Matthew Harder
Matthew Heath
Hans Hellman
Heidi Hellring
Michaela Hollis
Anne Howarth
Jean Huang
Kyra Hulligan
Scott Humes
James and Amie Jones
Sho Kato
Sam Kaye
Wee Kiat
Brian Kiernan
Mari and Denys Kotskyy
Bruce Kozuma
Kenneth Krause and Maura McEnaney
Sasha Kuftinec
Ursula Kwong-Brown
Laura Lasky
Rose Lewis
Jacky Ho Yin Li
Rozime Lindsey
Shayna Liu
George Lockhart
Ann MacDonald
Linda Markaian
Pamela Marshall
Jim Mathis
Nancy McHenry
Seth McHenry
Kathryn McKellar
Taylor McNulty
Jonathan McPhee
James McQuaid
Ann Marie Montello
Sheila Murphy
Rima Muth
William Neely
Jessica Oakhem
Carolyn Oberting
Ayumi Okada
Ryuichiro Okada
Elliot Olshansky
Eugénie Olson
David Olson
Susan Pivetz
Alexandra Porter
Megan Radlin
Ellen Rathjen
Stephanie Reily
Cole Reyes
Roberta Ritcheske
Diana Robbins
Lindsey Rogers
Joan Rothman
Jason Rubin
Jessica Rudman
David Sakura
Mischa Salkind-Pearl
Isadel and E.B. Saunter
Andrew Scanlon
Brian Schuth
Matt Scinto
Ana Sedarski
Jonathan Sedarski
Joseph Sedarski
Ryan Shannon
Daron Sharps
Madison Sharps
Nancy Shepard
Laura Siegel
Harvey Silvergate
Mark Sivazlian
Carol Smith
Jessica Smyser
Nicholas Southwick
Maura Stephens
Imogene Stulken
Kelsey Thompson
Jeffrey Travilla
Barbara Turen
Katherine Ullman
Donna Vass
Ed Wardell
Catherine Wee
Carole Williamson
Mark Wooding
Alison Takabe
Erika Yin
Lu Yu
We are also extremely thankful to the dedicated volunteers who gave their time and talents to Juventas in the 2022-23 concert season:
Chris Beagan
Lily Belisle
John A. Carey
Elizabeth Eigleheart
Betsy Eiglehart
Mona McKindley
Evan Perry
Elaine Walsh
Andrew Wilkins
NOVEMBER 11 at 8:00 PM EST
MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER
CAMBRIDGE, MA
+LIVE ON YOUTUBE
You ask: we deliver! Your favorite nature-inspired pieces return to the Juventas stage
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Get your tickets at juventasmusic.org/encore
