Mexican conductor and Grammy-winner Carlos Miguel Prieto started his tenure as Music Director of the North Carolina Symphony at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. From 2007 to 2022, he was Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México. In 2023, he received the Fine Arts Medal—Mexico’s highest honor for a musician. He served as Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2023, helping lead the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and earning a Grammy in 2024. Since 2008, he has also led the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (OSM), guiding the ensemble to a Latin Grammy award and residencies at Bravo! Vail in 2024 and 2025. This past summer, he returned to Mexico City to conduct OSM’s summer season, presenting works by Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, and Mexican composers including Gabriela Ortiz and Márquez, as well as continuing two ambitious projects: recording the complete works of Revueltas and Ortiz and recording the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Anne-Marie McDermott.
Prieto is in demand as a guest conductor for major orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Dallas, and Toronto; The Cleveland Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra; and the San Francisco, Houston, and New World symphonies. In 2025, he led a critically acclaimed concert with the fabled Philharmonia Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall as well as in Switzerland and conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a Tchaikovsky Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl. That same summer, he served as Semifinal and Final Round Conductor for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, leading the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in performances lauded for their musical sensitivity and collaborative precision.
Since 2002, Prieto has conducted the Orchestra of the Americas, serving as Principal Conductor until 2011, when he was appointed Music Director. He has also worked extensively with young musicians at The Juilliard School, the Colburn School, the Curtis Institute, and elsewhere. In 2025 he led the Sinfonica Azteca (Mexico’s acclaimed youth orchestra) tour of Mexico. He continues to mentor emerging talent through the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship at OAcademy, an online conservatory bringing together teachers and students from around the world. He has also worked with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and conducted both the National Youth Orchestra-USA and NYO2 at Carnegie Hall.
Prieto has conducted over 100 world premieres of works by Mexican and American composers, many commissioned by him. He places equal importance on championing works by Black and African American composers such as Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and Courtney Bryan. Known for his charismatic presence and programming that bridges tradition and innovation, Prieto continues to inspire audiences through artistic excellence, cultural exploration, and mentorship of the next generation of musicians.
Prieto has an extensive discography and was recognized by Musical America as Conductor of the Year in 2019. He is a graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities.
