Guest ArtistsCarlos Miguel Prieto, conductor

Widely celebrated as a rising star in the US, Canada and his native Mexico, Carlos Miguel Prieto’s charismatic conducting, characterized by its dynamism and the expressivity of his interpretations, has led to major engagements and popular acclaim throughout North America and in Europe. In great demand as a guest conductor with many of the top North American orchestras, including Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle, Oregon, Toronto and Vancouver symphony orchestras, his relationships with orchestras in Europe, Latin America and the United Kingdom also continue to expand.

Recognized as the leading Mexican conductor of his generation, Mr. Prieto has been the Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico (OSN), the country’s most important orchestra, since 2007. The following year he was appointed Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (OSM), a hand-picked orchestra which performs a two month long series of summer programs in Mexico City.

2015-16 marks Prieto’s tenth season as Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), where he has led the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In May 2013 Prieto’s contract was unanimously extended to the 2018-19 season. The string of international soloists who now appear with the LPO, such as violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and guitarist Pepe Romero, is testament to his achievements with the orchestra.

Following summer 2015 performances with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería and with the YOA Orchestra of the Americas in its 2015 Pan-American Tour, Maestro Prieto’s 2015-16 season includes overseeing the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, including the orchestra’s triumphant return to its restored home, the Orpheum. Season highlights include debuts with the UK’s Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, France’s Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Germany’s Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra leading the U.S. premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s Concierto Voltage for Timpani and Orchestra with timpanist Gabriela Jiménez. There will also be return engagements with Spain’s Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Canada’s Vancouver Symphony and the U.S.’s Kansas City Symphony.

A staunch proponent of music education, Mr. Prieto has served as Music Director of the YOA Orchestra of the Americas, a world-class symphony orchestra of 100 musical leaders, ages 18 to 30, representing 25 countries of the Western Hemisphere since 2011. He previously served as principal conductor of the organization from its inception in 2001. In early 2010 Mr. Prieto conducted the YOA alongside Valery Gergiev on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the World Economic Forum at Carnegie Hall.

A naturally inquisitive musician of broad and varied interests, Prieto is renowned for championing Latin American music and has conducted over 50 world premieres of works by Mexican and American composers many of which were commissioned by him.

Mr. Prieto has an extensive discography that covers labels including Naxos and Sony. Recent recordings include a highly acclaimed CD for Cedille featuring Carlos Chavez’s Piano Concerto with pianist Jorge Federico Osorio and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico; and two recordings with violinist Philippe Quint and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería: for Avantclassic a CD of works by Bruch, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, and for Naxos Korngold’s Violin Concerto, which received two Grammy® nominations. With the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería Prieto released a 12-DVD set of live recordings of the complete Symphonies of Gustav Mahler as part of 35th Anniversary season.

Also an accomplished violinist, Mr. Prieto has performed as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico and has participated in the music festivals of Aspen, Tanglewood, Interlochen, San Miguel Allende and Cervantino. Continuing a family tradition that reaches back four generations, he also has been a member of the Cuarteto Prieto, with which he has performed in the most important halls of Mexico, United States and throughout Europe.

A graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, Carlos Miguel Prieto studied conducting with Jorge Mester, Enrique Diemecke, Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo.