All We Are

Boston | Juventas New Music Ensemble announces the first concert of its 2026-2027 season, All We Are. This program features music that meditates on family, identity, and perseverance. It will be presented on October 10th at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge and October 11th at First Parish Sudbury.

Spanning generations and continents, the composers on this program ask what it means to endure, to hold multiple identities, and to cherish what is most fragile and fleeting. All We Are honors moments, both ordinary and remarkable, whose significance is often only understood in hindsight.

In line with Juventas’s mission to lift emerging voices in the contemporary music field, All We Are features the work of composer Kian Ravaei, an American composer of Iranian descent. Although Ravei is only 27 years old, Juventas has already performed his music 15 times. “Juventas believes in long-term relationships with emerging artists,” explains Artistic Director Oliver Caplan. “This not only supports the artist in advancing their career, but also provides audience members the opportunity to become familiar with their music, just as they can with the classical greats. Most of the music we perform is not yet available on published albums, so the only way to hear it is live.”

In addition to Ravaei, All We Are includes the work of three other living composers. Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio melds the worlds of Hindustani and Western classical music with a piece that straddles the intricacies of both practices. It weaves together authentic raags and shimmering soundscapes, with modality and sweeping phrases reminiscent of Ravel. The program also features the world premiere of Artistic Director Oliver Caplan’s Wherever You Think There Is Nothing, which contemplates the beauty and meaning found in the cracks of our existence through the lens of the poetry of Hannah Fries. David Biedenbender’s All We Are We Cannot Hold, the namesake of the program, reflects on the small, transient moments of life, especially as illuminated by parenting. Performances by Juventas musicians Kelley Hollis, Celine Ferro, Grant Houston, Nicholas Johnson, and Julia Scott Carey bring the depth of emotion and raw humanity in each piece to life.

As part of Juventas’s work to increase accessibility, the October 10th performance will also be livestreamed on YouTube, free of charge. Tickets to the in-person concert are $15-40, with a $1 Music for All option, available to anyone who can’t afford Juventas’s regular prices for any reason. For tickets and more information, visit juventasmusic.org/all-we-are.