“He brings his great love of all kinds of music from the old classics to Latin American music and new works by many American composers,” Elaine Bryant Hayes, a N.C. Symphony Society board of directors trustee for more than 30 years, says about Carlos Miguel Prieto, music director for the state symphony scheduled to perform Thursday evening. “ … We are lucky to have someone with such a strong resume and so many relationships with outstanding musicians that have performed as soloists with him.”
Carlos Miguel Prieto is on his way to Fayetteville and looking forward to meeting you.
He’s bringing the strings and the percussions of his N.C. Symphony, too.
“It’s a huge privilege to do what I do and to share it with the audience,” says Prieto, 57, music director and conductor of the state symphony that is scheduled to perform Thursday evening at Huff Concert Hall on the Methodist University campus. “I’m very, very excited. Everywhere we have been is special for me. We want this to be a huge success.”
The 70-minute performance, including Mendelssohn’s lush String Symphony No. 5, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the 1,150-seat auditorium. Huff Concert Hall was remodeled and renamed in 2016 after the university received a $1.5 million financial benevolence from Cumberland County business couple Ralph and Linda Huff.
Prieto says the concert series travels to all 100 statewide counties, with an emphasis on working with the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction to educate and inspire more than 150,000 schoolchildren each year about the impact classical music can have on their lives.
Elaine Bryant Hayes can tell you all about what classical music can mean to young students in this community, and to adults, too.
“My real love for the North Carolina Symphony started when I first moved to Fayetteville,” says Hayes, who has been a member of the N.C. Symphony Society board of directors for more than 30 years. “I was an elementary music teacher and the NCS came to Fayetteville and performed their ‘Music Education’ concerts for our fifth-grade students. They still do that to this day. It’s an important part of our children’s music education.”
Hayes taught music from 1978 to 1998 for the Cumberland County Schools System at Teresa C. Berrien Elementary, Pauline Jones Elementary, VanStory Elementary and Luther “Nick” Jeralds Middle, and prior at Pope Elementary and Holbrook Elementary on Fort Liberty. She later worked as director of Arts Education from 1998 to 2011 for the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County.
“I loved my career as a public-school music teacher,” she says, and, “yes, Carlos is correct. We have contacted the music teachers in the high schools to invite their string students and any others that are interested in attending.”
The NCS outreach is not lost on Marvin Connelly, superintendent for Cumberland County Schools.
“We sincerely appreciate the N.C. Symphony and their local chapter for extending this generous invitation to our students,” Connelly says. “We strongly support the arts in Cumberland County Schools as a critical part of helping our students achieve success. This initiative, reaching over 150,000 schoolchildren, including those in Cumberland County, perfectly aligns with our Committed Community Strategic Priority. It’s a valuable enrichment opportunity for our students, and we are truly grateful.”
Hayes has been anticipating Prieto’s and the symphony’s Thursday evening performance since before Christmas.
“He brings his great love of all kinds of music from the old classics to Latin American music and new works by many American composers,” Hayes says about Prieto. “His personality is charming and his love of our Music Education program is large. His conducting talent is very obvious.”
Dwain Joyce has served as a trustee on the NCS board of directors since 2016. Joyce, too, looks forward to having Prieto and the NCS performing.
“In-person classical music concerts are always exciting to me but having our talented North Carolina Symphony musicians perform with our new music director, Carlos Miguel Prieto, conducting his first concert in Fayetteville makes it even more special,” Joyce says. “It is a wonderful opportunity to inspire a diverse audience with a delightful musical experience and also an opportunity for the Fayetteville community to show their appreciation, support and warm hospitality to Carlos and the North Carolina Symphony for this performance and for all they do across our great state.”
Joyce is president of the NCS Cumberland County Chapter board of directors, according to the NCS website. Other members are Worth Smith, vice president; Alisa Evans Debnam, Chima Enwere, Andretta Hales, Andrea Kelly, Ashley Martin, Calvin Mims, Alec Powers and Hayes.
True to its mission
The North Carolina Symphony, circa 1932, and headquartered at Meymandi Concert Hall at the Martin Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh, is true to its mission of enriching the cultural life of every state resident no matter their age or station in life.
You’ll find the symphony performing throughout the state from the mountains to the coast and every city, town or county and, according to its website, also serving more than 150,000 schoolchildren annually.
Carlos Miguel Prieto, who was born in Mexico City to a musical family of Spanish and French descent, welcomes being a part of the state symphony as music director. He brings along an impressive resume to include music director from 2006 to 2023 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México from 2007 to 2022; and music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, which performs a series of summer programs in Mexico City.
He has been a guest conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchesta and, according to the NCS website, made his British Broadcasting Corp. Proms debut at Royal Albert Hall with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Prieto is a graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, studying conducting under Jorge Mester, Enrique Diemecke, Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo.
You get the picture.
Carlos Miguel Prieto is the real deal.
Epilogue
“We are lucky to have someone with such a strong resume and so many relationships with outstanding musicians that have performed as soloists with him,” Elaine Bryant Hayes says.
He’s coming to our city Thursday, and bringing his talented musicians with the violins, violas, cellos, and double base strings, and percussions to include the timpani.
“We want this to be a huge success,” Prieto was saying Monday, “so we can come back often.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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