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Conversation and Concert: Carlos Prieto, cello

March 31, 2026 | 04:30 pm
Killian Hall
Free and Open to the Public, Must Register
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Carlos Prieto, cello
March 31, 2026
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Lewis Music Library (14E-109)
 
MIT alum and distinguished cellist Carlos Prieto is celebrated in an afternoon of conversation and music, co-hosted by the SHASS Dean’s Office, the Lewis Music Library, and the Emerson/Harris Program. Prieto will be introduced by SHASS Dean Agustin Rayo and will present his most recent book to the MIT Libraries. A conversation with and brief performance by Prieto and two Emerson/Harris cellists, Jasper Lee and Chengyu Li, will follow. This event highlights the extraordinary artistry and interdisciplinary spirit thriving at MIT. There will be a light reception after the formal program.
 
About the Artist

 

Born in Mexico in 1937. He earned two degrees in Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Centre d’Études Supérieures de Sidérurgie (CESSID) in France, and also pursued cello studies with Imre Hartman, Pierre Fournier, and Leonard Rose.

He worked at the major steel company Fundidora Monterrey, eventually becoming its Chief Executive Officer. In 1977, he resigned from his business career to devote himself entirely to music.

 

He has performed in many of the leading concert halls in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. He has enriched the cello repertoire and has premiered and recorded 114 new works dedicated to him by composers from a wide range of countries. He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma in Mexico, the United States, Spain, and other countries in concerts featuring works for two cellos dedicated to both artists.

 

He is the author of 14 books, some of which have been translated into several languages and presented in multiple countries.

 

Awards: Mexico’s National Award for Sciences and Arts; France’s Order of Arts and Letters; Spain’s Order of Civil Merit (Commander); Russia’s Pushkin Medal; awards from the Mexican Cultural Seminar; and honors from Yale University, MIT, Indiana University, TCU, Spain, and many others.

 

He is a member of the Mexican Academy of the Spanish Language, a corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy,  of the Chilean Academy of the Spanish Language, of the Chilean Academy of Fine Arts , and an honorary member of the Ecuadorian Academy of the Spanish Language. He is a full lmember of the Seminary of Mexican Cultural Seminar.

 

About the Emerson/Harris Program for Private Study

Support for private musical study is available for students through the Emerson/Harris Program (E/HP), which offers merit-based financial awards for outstanding achievement on instruments or voice in classical, jazz, or world music. Each academic year, the program awards Scholarships and Fellowships to nearly seventy students who commit to a full year’s study and participate in the musical life of MIT.