New Jersey Symphony Music Director Xian Zhang, photo by Cherylynn Tsushima
(NEWARK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Symphony announced that Angelique Montes and Thierry de Lucas Neves will become the Symphony's Colton Orchestral Fellows for the 2024–25 season.
Launched in 2019, the New Jersey Symphony Colton Fellowship provides opportunities for talented early-career orchestral musicians from Black and Latino communities to gain valuable professional experience as a foundation to propel their careers and be successful in the music industry. In 2023, the Symphony expanded the Colton Fellowship program to include a conducting fellow. Auditions are expected to take place on July 25 for this role. The Colton Fellowship program is made possible by a generous gift from Judith and Stewart Colton.
Music Director Xian Zhang says, “I have very much enjoyed working with previous Colton Orchestral Fellows Max [Oppeltz], Jesus [Saenz] and Laura [Andrade], and am delighted to see their careers advance. I look forward to welcoming Angelique and Thierry into the orchestra and working with them over the next year.”
President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst notes, “As I reflect on my time with the Symphony, one of my proudest and most near and dear accomplishments has been the establishment of the Colton Fellowship program. I want to give a special thanks to Judith and Stewart for their unwavering support of the fellowship. The Symphony is thrilled to welcome Angelique and Thierry as our 2024–25 Colton Fellows.”
Judith and Stewart Colton say, “The fellowship pairs our passion for education and classical music alongside our goal of increasing diversity and community presence on stage. We welcome Angelique Montes and Thierry de Lucas Neves as the new fellows and look forward to seeing the fellowship continue to grow for years to come.”
Angelique Montes - Haitian American cellist, Angelique Montes made her solo debut in 2010 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as their concerto competition winner. She has also been a soloist with the Miami University Symphony Orchestra and Oberlin Arts & Science Orchestra. Her numerous performances have brought her to major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Royal Albert Hall. Montes has performed alongside artists such as Midori, Jupiter String Quartet, Calidore String Quartet and Alex Kerr. She has also performed in masterclasses by Yo-Yo Ma, Zuill Bailey, Jan Vogler, Carlos Miguel Prieto, the Marsalis family and the Punch Brothers.
During the summer she has attended music festivals such as: Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute, Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, National Youth Orchestra of the USA, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, Colorado College Summer Music Festival and more.
An artist with many interests, her performances range from traditional classical programs to premiering commissioned works to performing on Broadway. She released her debut album Refraction in 2022, which highlights solo cello pieces written by black composers as well as electroacoustic music.
Montes attended Oberlin Conservatory (BM), the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music (MM) and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (DMA), where she studied with Amir Eldan, Matthew Zalkind and Alan Rafferty.
Thierry de Lucas Neves - Thierry de Lucas Neves is currently completing his undergraduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where he studies under the world-renowned Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec in the Zukerman Program.
As a distinguished violinist with the “Sphinx Virtuosi,” de Lucas Neves has performed in over 15 states across the United States and recorded under the Deutsche Grammophon label. He has won several competitions, including the Paulo Bosísio (2009), Young Soloist of the Goiás Philharmonic (2014) and Young Soloists of UFRJ (2015). Thierry was a two-time semifinalist at the Sphinx Competition and received the Achievement Award at its 25th edition.
As a soloist, de Lucas Neves has performed with various orchestras, including the Goiás Youth Symphony Orchestra at the BeethovenFest in Germany, the Goyazes Chamber Orchestra, the Goiânia Symphony Orchestra, the Goiás Philharmonic and the UFRJ Symphony Orchestra. He has served as concertmaster for the Young Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Academia Jovem Concertante, Cesgranrio Symphony Orchestra and Goiânia Symphony Orchestra. De Lucas Neves has also worked with prominent orchestras in Brazil, including the Mato Grosso State Orchestra, Bahia Symphony Orchestra, Petrobras Symphony Orchestra and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, he was awarded the opportunity to participate in the Chamberfest at the Juilliard School in New York, where his performance received critical acclaim from The New York Times.
Since 2023, de Lucas Neves has been a violin faculty member at the Sphinx Performance Academy at both the Juilliard School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His dedication to mentoring young musicians is evident through his “De Lucas Project,” which supports aspiring violinists from remote regions of Brazil in pursuing careers in music.
Born in Goiânia, Brazil, de Lucas Neves began his musical studies at the age of nine. He studied with Professor Dário José and later with Professor Luciano Pontes before moving to Rio de Janeiro in 2011 to study with Daniel Guedes at the Rio de Janeiro Federal University. Thierry has participated in numerous prestigious festivals, including the Oficina de Música de Curitiba, the Santa Catarina Music Festival (FEMUSC), the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, the Ilumina Festival and the Young Artists Program in Canada.
The Emmy and GRAMMY Award-winning New Jersey Symphony is redefining what it means to be a nationally leading, relevant orchestra in the 21st century. The Symphony is renewing its deeply rooted commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by championing new, and often local, artists; engaging audiences for whom the inspiring depth and breadth of classical music will be a new experience; and incorporating the broadest possible representation in all aspects of our organization-all to better reflect and serve our vibrant communities.
Internationally renowned Chinese American conductor Xian Zhang began her tenure as the New Jersey Symphony’s current music director in 2016. Since her arrival, Zhang has revitalized programming with an industry-leading commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in mainstage concerts. Since 2021, Zhang has worked together with composer, violinist, educator and social-justice advocate Daniel Bernard Roumain, the orchestra's Resident Artistic Catalyst, to offer programming that connects with diverse communities in Newark and throughout New Jersey. In 2024, Allison Loggins-Hull will succeed DBR as the orchestra’s next Resident Artistic Partner.
In the 2024–25 season, the New Jersey Symphony will present Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene with Renée Fleming, Billy Childs’ Diaspora, Daniel Freiberg’s Latin American Chronicles, Allison Loggins-Hull’s Can You See?, Qasim Naqvi’s God Docks at Death Harbor and Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari. Classical favorites on the season include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral,” Gustav Holst’s The Planets—An HD Odyssey, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird. Artistic partnerships include Paquito D’Rivera and his quintet, as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival; Nimbus Dance performing with The Firebird and God Docks at Death Harbor; Montclair State University Chorale performing on three programs; as well as Peking University Alumni Chorus and Starry Arts Children’s Chorus appearing on the Lunar New Year Celebration concert with Xian Zhang.
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