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Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor

b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up June 2012 Carlos Miguel Prieto, considered one of the most dynamic young conductors in recent years, has further widened his exposure by accepting a total of four music directorships in his native Mexico and the United States. He was named music director of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico (National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico), Mexico’s most important orchestra, in July 2007, and remains music director at his other Mexican orchestra, the Orquesta Mineria. In the US, he enters his sixth season as music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic, where he leads the cultural renewal of ravaged New Orleans, while his music directorship of the Huntsville Symphony (Alabama) came to a close in 2011 after eight years. That same year he was appointed music director of YOA Orchestra of the Americas. Prieto has made guest appearances with numerous North American orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, and every major orchestra in Mexico. He has also conducted orchestras throughout Europe, Russia, Israel, and Latin America, notably his Teatro Colon debut in Buenos Aires, his Netherlands Radio Orchestra debut in Utrecht, and performances with the Philharmonia of the Nations. 12/13 is another bustling season with his annual return to the Chicago Symphony and appearances with the Colorado, North Carolina, Memphis, Grand Rapids and Winnipeg symphonies as well as the Naples Philharmonic. Many stellar orchestras were lined up for 2011/12, including the Chicago Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, and the symphonies of Quebec, Kansas City and Santa Barbara. Season 2010/11 brought return visits to the Chicago Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and Naples Philharmonic as well as debuts with the Winnipeg Symphony and North Carolina Symphony. Abroad he conducted the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra with great success. The previous season, Prieto gave several debuts: after past summer’s success, he made his subscription debuts with the Chicago Symphony and Pacific Symphony, and also appeared for the first time with the Toronto Symphony (subscription debut and Light Classics Series) and Alabama Symphony. In early 2010 he conducted the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, alongside Valery Gergiev, on occasion of the 40th anniversary of the World Economic Forum at Carnegie Hall. Prieto’s 2008/09 season was another banner year, full of important debuts and re-engagements in the US. During the summer, he made his first appearance with the Chicago Symphony and later with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival, with Yo-Yo Ma as soloist. He also gave his debut with the Vancouver Symphony, New Jersey Symphony and Monterey Symphony, and returned to the Indianapolis Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, and Pacific Symphony. During his tenure with the Mexico City Philharmonic from 1998 to 2002, Prieto conducted over 100 concerts ranging from classical subscription to educational and popular concerts. A champion of contemporary music, Prieto has conducted over 50 world premieres of works by Mexican and American composers, many of which were commissioned by him. Exemplifying Prieto’s commitment to education, he has conducted the Youth Orchestra of the Americas since its inception in 2002. He has performed with this enthusiastic ensemble at the United Nations and the Kennedy Center, and has toured throughout South America and Mexico. Carlos Miguel Prieto is the founder and music director of the Mozart-Haydn Festival, an annual series of six concerts dedicated to the symphonic music of these two composers. In October 2005 he led the sixth festival in Sala Nezahualcoyotl of Mexico City. He was voted "Conductor of the Year 2002" by the Mexican Union of Music and Theater Critics, and in 1998 he received the Mozart Medal of Honor presented by the Government of Mexico and the Embassy of Austria. He has recently made a series of recordings of Latin American and Mexican music for the Urtext label. A graduate of Princeton and Harvard Universities (where he was concertmaster of the orchestra), Prieto studied conducting with Jorge Mester, Enrique Diemecke, Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo. b i o......r e v i e w s..... back to roster...up . . . .

. r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up (Most recent) Louisiana Philharmonic (with Yo-Yo Ma) Ma's rapport with the orchestra seemed telepathic and for that, credit also goes to maestro Carlos Miguel Prieto, who conjured a detailed but unfussy performance from the LPO. Gently blowing the dust from this familiar orchestral vehicle, Prieto made it sound like a piece of chamber music, capturing the sudden mood shifts and neurotic intensity of Schumann's masterpiece. - The Times-Picayune, 10/20/09 Alabama Symphony The lanky Prieto shaped Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 with romantic fervor, cajoling the orchestra with circular baton strokes and long arm reaches. The romance was bountiful, emanating from the whooshes of sound in the opening movement to the melodic breadth of the second. The Adagio is one of the beautiful movements in all of symphonic music, and Prieto fashioned a richly-textured blend, balanced by poignant solos, particularly from clarinetist Kathleen Costello. - The Birmingham News, 10/3/09 Youth Orchestra of the Americas On the strength of the Knowlton concert, Prieto seems an ideal leader. He's young, personable, and has two professional orchestras of his own in Mexico City and New Orleans. He got the evening off to a rousing start with a virtuoso piece by Canadian composer John Estacio. Fast tempi and tricky rhythms held no terror for this band and Bootlegger’s Tarantella was a great success. […] In Prieto’s version, it was loud and fast, and a little rushed here and there. No matter. This was totally committed and joyous music-making. - La Scena Musicale, 8/5/09 Pacific Symphony His conducting is vigorous, direct and insightful, producing a nice mix of musical detail and free and easy flow. […] Prieto led both works with a ready sense of narrative line, rhythmical verve and instrumental color. - Orange County Register, 6/12/09 Monterey Symphony Slim, energetic, dynamic and enthusiastic are words that come to mind to describe conductor Prieto. His supremely confident approach to the major works on the evening's program elicited top-notch performances from the symphony players. […] The concert ended with a full-blooded performance of Schumann's Fourth Symphony. In this wonderfully romantic work, Prieto went into overdrive and got 110 percent out of the score. - The Californian, 2/16/09 Milwaukee Symphony Prieto's take is one of brisk tempos and artfully crafted phrases. He uses reserved dynamics, unleashing true fortissimo sounds sparingly, with great effect. He and the players translated this view into an impassioned, nuanced performance. They brought out details of the piece's architecture and lovely inner voices and created tantalizingly long crescendos spanning multiple phrases. […] Prieto and the players gave the piece the same sort of intense, focused reading they brought to the rest of the evening's program to create an exciting performance. - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/16/09 Boston Symphony (debut) Prieto led it with a clear, strong beat and tightly controlled gestures, though he also gave the music breathing space when needed. […] Prieto guided the orchestra with a steady sense of its winding architecture, and brought it to an exciting close. The orchestra played well for him, especially in the Rachmaninoff. - The Boston Globe, 8/6/09 (Other reviews) Schumann’s SYMPHONY No. 4 — Concertgebouw (Netherlands): “Carlos Miguel Prieto, who is gradually becoming a well-established name at the Concertgebouw, gave an intense and inspired performance with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra earlier this month…. Prieto, possessed of a well-developed and sophisticated musical instinct, elicited very fine playing from the musicians of the Philharmonia of the Nations, a group of extremely talented young musicians. The performance was one in which the romantic spirit of Schumann was present at all times.” Noordhollands Dagblad “Best of all, the crowd showed a genuine interest in listening. It helped that Carlos Miguel Prieto, who leads orchestras in Xalapa, Mexico and Huntsville, Alabama, offered an ambitious and engaging program of works from North and South America, including music by Ives, Copland, Barber and Bernstein but also fascinating selections by Alberto Ginastera and Silvestre Revueltas.” New York Times “Houston Symphony associate conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto … a happy collaboration — conductor, soloist and orchestra intent on their roles, yet alert to the subtle give and take that produces a very satisfying interpretation.” Houston Chronicle “Visiting conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto brought out all the inherent exoticism of this beautiful and romantic score [Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra], and every rubato or crescendo breathed as naturally as day and night.” Arizona Republic “Prieto and the orchestra offered vigorous, insightful music-making right up to the end.” Houston Chronicle “Prieto led smart, suave-sounding performances.” [Chevron Texaco Fiesta Sinfónica] Houston Chronicle “…strong leadership by the Houston symphony’s new associate conductor, Carlos Miguel Prieto…” Houston Chronicle “Prieto… enjoyed himself immensely… yet he didn’t treat the concert as a throw-away pops event. He opened with a fairly tough-sounding Sensemayá by Mexican Silvestre Revueltas, offered the charming orchestral Intermezzo from the zarzuela La Boda de Luis Alonso… by Spaniard Jerónimo Giménez and included the familiar Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo. Crucially, too, Prieto insisted that all the orchestra work, including the accompanists, be played crisply and intensely.” Houston Chronicle “Guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto handled a potential crisis deftly [the guest soloist became ill at the last minute], and a controversial musical work [Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony] with great skill… Prieto’s interpretation of the fourth movement brought out the sense of forced loyalty to the state.” Huntsville Times “An essential feature of the music-making of Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto is his trust of his audiences. As he showed in his second Houston Symphony concert, he isn’t afraid to challenge listeners. It shouldn’t be too surprising that Saturday’s crowd responded appreciatively.” Houston Chronicle “Prieto surrounded the Kachaturian with music of charm, then great seriousness… Prieto stressed the lilt and lightness of the music… He firmly held the orchestra in check in the signature Rossini crescendos… Together, Prieto and the musicians made a device that can seem so hackneyed irresistibly charming.” Houston Chronicle “Guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto deserves great praise for not only holding this enormously complicated concert together, but for urging playing of great spirit and flair from MSO.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto likes to challenge audiences. He avoids the appetizerlike overtures that have become the clichéd start of orchestral programs. Instead he opts for something more substantial…. The performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 immediately drew the audience into music-making that was serious yet enchanting, engrossing yet delightfully varied.” Houston Chronicle “Carlos Miguel Prieto is typical of his generation in his drive and intellectual energy. Multilingual, knowledgeable and engaging, he’s also an ideal communicator.” ArtsHouston “Hot! Hot! Hot! Shall we dare call the Houston Symphony sexy? The ladies in the audience at Miller Outdoor Theatre were fanning themselves with their programs, and it wasn't because of the temperature outside. Carlos Miguel Prieto of Mexico City recently conducted the Houston Symphony at Miller…. The audience was spellbound and riveted by Prieto's youthful strength and Quint's passionate performance.” ArtsHouston “Prieto captured the aim of each work and conducted an attentive, eloquent Philharmonic.” Reforma (Mexico City) "Carlos Miguel Prieto's work was impeccable…I sincerely hope to have another chance to witness the evening's combination of a great orchestra (Houston Symphony), excellent conductor, interesting programming and an enthusiastic audience which knew how to appreciate this superb concert…. "[CMP]'s brief explanations were precise and illuminating…" SEMANA (Houston) "Prieto's affection for Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez was clearly transmitted to his responsive orchestra…his performance left the audience dancing in their seats…" San Antonio Express News "Carlos Miguel Prieto has demonstrated through his meteoric career that he is an extremely charismatic leader born with a natural musicianship which transmits an immense joy of music making…" Reforma (Mexico City) "…his performance of Turangalila was, if not the musical event of the year, certainly the most important…it was bursting with emotion, vitality, energy and enjoyment…" El Economista (Mexico City) "…it was an opportunity to see, or rather hear, how well the Mexico City Philharmonic is playing and above all to watch the magnificent performance of Carlos Miguel Prieto, who lent life, strength and rhythmical intensity to this score (Turangalila), regarded as one of the most difficult of the modern symphonic repertoire." Uno más Uno (Mexico City) "…the finest Mexican conductor of his generation…led an extremely rewarding concert of five world premieres which was extremely well received by the public…" La Jornada (Mexico City) "Carlos Miguel Prieto, during the short span of two years has captivated audiences in Mexico City with exceptional performances of a varied and unusually interesting repertoire. He is quickly becoming a cult-like figure with a growing audience, giving music an entirely new twist in Mexico…" El Economista (Mexico City) "From the podium, Carlos Miguel Prieto untangled, constructed and guided the Schnittke Concerto with excellent musical sense and a sure ear to balance and clarify the various textures which can prove fiendishly difficult…superb performance." Reforma (Mexico City) "…fine sense of balance, rhythmic drive and passion are the main characteristics of this exciting young conductor…fascinating Prokofiev…" Novedades (Mexico City) "…Prieto likes taking musical risks, as a result of which we were able to listen to a virtually unsurpassable version of Metaboles (Dutilleux), and a truly unforgettable version of Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. Equally impressive was his performance of the 1911 version of Petrushka and his beautiful rendering of La Valse, which drew a standing ovation from all those present…Carlos Miguel Prieto left an indelible impression through these ten works distributed between three highly memorable programs." Claridades Journal (Mexico City) "…from the podium, Carlos Miguel Prieto made the Xalapa Symphony sound like this critic has seldom heard. Motivating, serene and commanding total attention and respect from the musicians, this young conductor is bound to rise to great heights…" Diario de Xalapa (Xalapa, Mexico) "Carlos Miguel Prieto left such an impression on audience and orchestra that everyone is wishing for his return…" Diario de Queretaro "Prieto, overflowing with temperament and happiness…led the National Symphony of Mexico in a tour-de-force debut performance which may well be the beginning of a sensational career…" Novedades (Mexico City) b i o.......r e v i e w s back to roster...up . .

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