Juventas New Music Ensemble

Juventas New Music Ensemble
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Genres New music
Years active 2005 – present
Associated acts Boston Conservatory Dance Division, Boston Opera Collaborative
Website www.juventasmusic.com
Members Music Director
Lidiya Yankovskaya
Associate Conductor
Ian Garvie
Flute
Zach Jay
Clarinet
Tunman Ho
Percussion
Brian Calhoun
Piano
Julia Scott Carey
Violin
Sara Matayoshi
Viola
Ashleigh Gordon
Cello
Rachel Arnold

The Juventas New Music Ensemble is an instrumental ensemble located in Boston, Massachusetts devoted to performing musical works by composers under the age of 35. Their programming focuses on composers who actively blur the boundaries between popular musical genres and traditional art music.[1] Since its inception, Juventas has received favorable reviews from several Boston publications.[1][2][3]

History

Juventas was founded in 2005 by Erin Huelskamp, Julia Scott Carey and Mark David Buckles. The three musicians decided to create the ensemble after realizing the difficulties young, unknown composers face in securing performance venues for their works. Huelskamp stated, "We felt young and underrepresented in a musical world that highly values the wisdom and experience that comes with age....the lack of professional opportunities for young composers and musicians is a real problem to which Juventas hopes to provide some solution." The Latin word juventas (meaning youth), was chosen to reflect the ensemble's mission.[4]

Since 2005, Juventas has regularly performed concerts of new works, including many premieres. The ensemble has also collaborated with other Boston music groups and organizations. In December 2009, Juventas collaborated with the Lorelei Ensemble on a holiday concert entitled "One Light," which featured seven new works by young composers. The works spanned a variety of subjects including Christmas, Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and Nietzschean philosophy.[2]

In September 2010, Juventas performed a concert entitled "The Exquisite Corpse" which utilized dancers from the Boston Conservatory to supplement and accentuate the musical works. The choreography and relevance of the dance to the music received mixed reviews, though on the whole the concert was deemed a success. On this particular program, the oldest composition dated from 2005.[5]

Juventas is currently an Ensemble-in-Residence at Boston Conservatory and a visiting Ensemble-in-Residence at Middlebury College.[4]

Core members

Juventas consists of seven "core members" who perform in each concert. Other guest artists participate if required for a particular work. The current core members are Lidiya Yankovskaya (Music Director), Zach Jay (Flute), Marguerite Levin (Clarinet), Brian Calhoon (Percussion), Julia Scott Carey (Piano), Yochanan Chendler (Violin), Emily Deans (Viola), and Rachel Arnold (Cello).[4]

Past members

Mark David Buckles (Music Director Emeritus)
Michael Sakir (Music Director)[4]

Selected 2009–2010 concerts

Date Concert name Location Works performed
20–23 May 2010 Opera Project 2010: 3x3=∞ The Cambridge YMCA Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts Obermüller, Karola and Peter Gilbert - 3x3=∞ (a multimedia opera)[6][7]
6–7 February 2010 and 4 March 2010 Juventas Jam: New Music Drawing on Influences from Folk to Funk Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory (2-6-10)
Middle East Upstairs, Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2-7-10)
Boston Athenæum (3-4-10)		 Beidenbender, David - Stomp
Lanman, Anthony - Cerulean Soliloquy
Mendez, Matthew - Riff(raff)
Ruccia, Dan - Training Wheels for Viola and Cello
Szewcyzk, Piotr - First Coast Groove
Szewcyzk, Piotr - Wild West Sketch
Tovar, Alexander - Black Dog Variations
Wanna, Steve - Trayectoria[1]
12–13 December 2009 One Light: New Music for Winter Holidays with Lorelei Ensemble Women's Choir St. John's Church, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (12-12-09)
Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (12-13-09)		 Caplan, Oliver - Every Iridescent Chip of Ice
Huelskamp, Erin - Surely Happiness Is Reflective
Rojahn, Rudolf - Christ/Anti-Christ[2]
8 October 2009 Next Generation: Boston Conservatory Composers Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory
18–19 September 2009 Murmurs from Limbo: A Musical Exploration Into The Human Mind Boston Conservatory, Boston, Massachusetts (9-18-09)
First Church in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts (9-19-09)		 Baadsvik, Øystein - Fnugg
Boyd, Michael - Bit of nostalgia...
Greene, Ethan - The Mind Is A Monkey, Swinging From Branch to Branch Through the Forest
Rice, Steven - Murmurs from Limbo
Stem, Erich - Revisited
Stullman, Tim - Deaf Ears Hear No Crying[3]

Administrative staff

Board of Directors
Jason Pavel, Chair
Paul A. Bohn, Clerk
Daniel Koppel
Kenny Smith, Treasurer
Oliver Caplan
John Carey
Steven Lewis, President
Daniel R. Schwartz[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vance R. Koven (9 February 2010). "Bring On Da Groove - Juventas Digs It". The Boston Music Intelligencer. Retrieved 21 November 2010..
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 David Weininger (11 December 2009). ""One Light" ventures beyond holiday tradition". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 SMR (19 September 2009). "Murmors from Limbo". Boston Theatre Review. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Official Juventas website. Retrieved 22 November 2010
  5. ↑ Vance R. Koven (20 September 2010). "Corpses Exquisite and Otherwise at Juventas's Season Opener". The Boston Music Intelligencer. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  6. ↑ Jane Wulff (19 May 2010). "Guilt all around us". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 November 2010..
  7. ↑ Adam Baratz (27 May 2010). "Difficult Mission That Didn't Come Off". The Boston Music Intelligencer. Retrieved 6 December 2010.

External links