Known for his charisma and expressive interpretations, Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto has established himself not just as a major figure in the orchestra world but also as an influential cultural leader, educator, and a champion of new music. In a significant career development, he will start his tenure as Music Director of the North Carolina Symphony at the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

From 2007 to 2022, he was the music director of the Sinfónica Nacional de México, the country’s leading ensemble, and significantly raised the caliber of the orchestra. He was also music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006, where he helped lead the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, stepping down at the end of the 2022-23 season. In 2008, he was appointed music director of the Sinfónica de Minería, a hand-picked orchestra that performs a two-month series of summer programs in Mexico City.

Recent highlights include engagements with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Spanish National Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Strasbourg Philharmonic, and Auckland Philharmonia.

Prieto is in demand as a guest conductor with many of the top North American orchestras, including Cleveland, Dallas, Toronto, Minnesota, Washington, New World, and Houston Symphony, and has enjoyed a particularly successful relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony.

Prieto made his BBC Proms debut at Royal Albert Hall on August 5, 2023 with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Since 2002, alongside Gustavo Dudamel, Prieto has conducted the Orchestra of the Americas (YOA), which draws young musicians from the entire American continent. A staunch proponent of music education, Prieto served as principal conductor of the YOA from its inception until 2011 when he was appointed music director. In 2018 he conducted the orchestra on a tour of European summer festivals, which included performances at the Rheingau and Edinburgh festivals, as well as Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. He has also worked regularly with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the NYO2 in New York.

Prieto is renowned for championing Latin American music, as well as his dedication to new music. He has conducted over 100 world premieres of works by Mexican and American composers, many of which were commissioned by him. Prieto places equal importance on championing works by Black and African American composers such as Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and Courtney Bryan, among others.

Prieto has an extensive discography that includes the Naxos and Sony labels. Recent Naxos recordings include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 & Études tableaux Op.33, with Boris Giltburg and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra RSNO, which won a 2018 Opus Klassik award and was listed as a Gramophone’s Critics’ Choice; and his 2017 recording of Korngold’s Violin Concerto with violinist Philippe Quint and the Sinfónica de Minería received two GRAMMY nominations. His recording of the Elgar and Finzi Violin Concertos with Ning Feng was released on Channel Classics in November 2018.

Prieto was recognized by Musical America as the 2019 Conductor of the Year. A graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, Prieto studied conducting with Jorge Mester, Enrique Diemecke, Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo. 

Undoubtedly the preeminent virtuoso guitarist of his generation, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas garners resounding acclaim from the global press, hailed as the successor to Andrés Segovia and an ambassador of Spanish culture worldwide. His version of the Aranjuez Concerto is the most acclaimed nowadays by critics and symphonic orchestras worldwide. He stands as the first solo guitarist to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York since the venerable Maestro Andrés Segovia's historic performance in 1983. Additionally, he has etched his name as the first guitarist to collaborate with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2001, as well as the sole guitarist to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic since 1983 at their New Year’s Eve -concert.

Since his remarkable debut with the New York Philharmonic, under the masterful baton of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has graced stages across more than 40 countries. His performances have resonated within the hallowed halls of eminent orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, and the National Orchestra of Spain. He has also adorned renowned theaters including the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Musikverein in Vienna, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among numerous others of similar eminence.

In 2024 Sáinz-Villegas will make his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony, and tour the US playing with the Phoenix Symphony, Naples Symphony, and Houston Symphony among others. He will premier Arturo Márquez’s first Guitar Concerto, written for Pablo, in the US and Canada and will tour back in Colombia, Taiwan, and Europe.

Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has graced expansive audiences numbering in the tens of thousands. Among these notable occasions are performances at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, captivating over 85,000 attendees, as well as concerts held in distinguished venues like Chicago's Grant Park, Lisbon's iconic Praça do Comércio, and the illustrious Hollywood Bowl, accompanied by the esteemed Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Noteworthy among his repertoire of remarkable feats is a performance on a floating stage adrift the Amazon River, an event broadcast to countless viewers across the globe.

Hand in hand with his incredible trajectory, the success of Pablo Sáinz-Villegas's interpretation of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez has summoned numerous invitations from renowned conductors, including Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alexander Shelley, Richard Egarr and Juanjo Mena. This collaborative symphony has not only enhanced his artistry but also solidified his standing among the virtuosos of our time.

As an acclaimed artist with over thirty international awards, including the Andrés Segovia, Francisco Tárrega, and Christopher Parkening awards, and a frequent performer in institutional representation concerts, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has had the privilege of playing, on various occasions, before members of the Spanish Royal Family, including his concert at the Princess of Asturia Awards in 2021. He has also performed for other heads of state and international leaders such as the Dalai Lama.

In alignment with his artistry, as a musician affiliated with SONY Classical, he has unveiled three albums, each a testament to his musical prowess and creative spirit. His most recent opus, entitled The Blue Album, was released in June 2023.

Pablo Sáinz-Villegas believes that music can unite communities across the globe, which is why he is a socially committed artist. Pablo Sáinz-Villegas founded the philanthropic project El Legado de la Música Sin Fronteras in 2006, through which he has shared his music with over 45,000 children and young people worldwide. He is also the founder, inspiration, and driving force behind the non-profit organization Strings in Common. Strings in Common is his love letter to the cultural power of the guitar, an instrument with the ability to represent numerous international traditions. In his words, “The guitar is an instrument of the people. It has the power to reach audiences and bridge the gap between art music and pop-culture.”

Additionally, as a tireless advocate for the development of classical guitar repertoire, he has premiered numerous works, including the first piece written for guitar by the renowned film score composer and five-time Oscar winner, John Williams, as well as his duo “A Prayer for Peace, created for Yo-Yo Ma and Pablo. He has also premiered compositions by Tomás Marco, Jesús Torres, María Dolores Malumbres, David del Puerto, and Sergio Assad, among others. Looking towards a future that holds more performance opportunities for classical guitarists, Sáinz-Villegas has commissioned guitar works from composers Arturo Márquez, Francisco Coll, and Laura Vega to premiere in 2023 and 2025.

Currently, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas is the artistic director and driving force of La Rioja Festival, a project of his own conception that showcases his home region to the world, an homage to the lively and supportive community that has been an integral part of his upbringing and musical career.

Pablo Sáinz-Villegas has been living in the United States since 2001 and looks forward to a season of performing and collaborating with incredible artists.

Esperanza Fernández is, without a doubt, one of the main voices of the flamenco cante (“singing”) at present. In addition to her remarkable abilities, already proved in countless concerts, she has a large repertoire. An extremely versatile singer, she has lent her voice to many different musical styles.

Fernández’s career has been marked by names such as Yehudi Menuhin, Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, Mauricio Sotelo, Edmon Colomer, Rosa Torres-Pardo – and ensembles such as Trío Accanto, Perspectives Ensemble (New York City), Lim (Madrid), the Spanish National Orchestra, and the Orquesta de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña.

Born a gypsy in the legendary neighborhood of Triana, Seville, Fernández received her flamenco legacy in a family of important cantaores (“singers”), guitarists and dancers. Fernández is currently one of the best and most authentic voices in modern flamenco.

Isaac Tovar is a celebrated international flamenco dancer and choreographer from Seville, Spain. He was a longtime soloist of the Ballet Nacional de España, Compañía Andaluza de Danza, Compañía Antonio "El Pipa," and Compañía Aída Gómez, among many other premier national and international companies including Flamenco en Route and Flamenco Vivo. He was the soloist of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía until early 2022.

Tovar is the recipient of numerous first prizes in dance: at the renowned Concurso IV Internacional de Danza in Almería, the Concurso Nacional de la Perla de Cádiz, and the XXVII Concurso Nacional de Ubrique. He won the 2nd prize for Solo Choreography in the XXV Certamen de Danza Española y Flamenco in Madrid. He performed as a semifinalist in the LIX Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas.

Tovar’s first solo production “Añejo” debuted in Seville in 2018 and his second production “Generaciones'' premiered at the prestigious Royal Theater in Madrid in 2019. He has since choreographed and performed at Lincoln Center in a production of Bizet’s Carmen. He was then featured alongside Esperanza Fernandez and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in performances of Falla’s Amor Brujo and El Sombrero de Tres Picos at the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami. Isaac headlined the Festival Flamenco at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto in Fall 2022 and was the invited artist at the Chicago Flamenco Festival with Ensemble Español in 2023. He then was soloist in the Detroit Opera’s production of Ainadamar in Spring 2023 and the Welsh National Opera’s production and UK tour.

Apart from his own productions and performances, Tovar has been commissioned to create choreography for companies including: Flamenco Vivo, Ensemble Español, Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company, and A Palo Seco Flamenco, among others.

Over the years he has worked alongside flamenco legends such as José Antonio, Antonio Najarro, Antonio el Pipa, Belén Maya, Juana Amaya, Antonio Canales, and Rafaela Carrasco among many other names.

He received his higher education degree in Choreography and Interpretation from the Conservatorio Superior de Danza “Maria de Ávila” in Madrid and has decades of experience teaching flamenco and Spanish throughout Europe, Canada and the United States.

Throughout his career he has danced in important theaters around the world, including: Place des Arts in Montreal, Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Teatro Villamarta in Jerez, Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Palace of Music in Moscow, Chaillot Theater in Paris, Sadler’s Wells of London, Bunkamura Theater in Tokyo, Peking Opera House, Lincoln Center, and the Joyce Theater in New York City.