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“An incredible conductor, almost unbelievable - the opinion was unanimous. It was that Alexander Prior, whose rightful tempi, shine, and glorious interpretation, led to an exuberantly exciting performance”
“Alexander Prior confirmed his reputation as an insider-tip. With subtle small gestures he submerged the music down to invisibility, and then ignited storms of sound with furious large gestures.”
Conductor Alexander Prior is Music Director of the Eugene Symphony. He has captivated audiences around the world with his passionate and colourful approach to shaping orchestral sound.
Symphonic highlights include performances with the San Francisco, Detroit, Queensland, and Houston Symphony Orchestras; the German Radio Symphony Orchestra; the German Radio Philharmonic; the Gewandhaus Orchestra; the NDR Symphony Hamburg; the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen; the Calgary Philharmonic; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (the orchestra of the Teatro Real); and the Brevard Festival Orchestra.
A dedicated opera enthusiast since early childhood, Prior’s opera engagements include Martinů’s Mirandolina at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Verdi’s La traviata at Oper Leipzig; Bizet’s Carmen at the Royal Danish Opera; Dvořák’s Rusalka at the Tiroler Festspiele; Verdi’s Rigoletto at Staatstheater Braunschweig and Oper Frankfurt; Martinů’s Julietta at Oper Frankfurt; Richard Strauss’s Elektra at Theater Erfurt and Edmonton Opera; Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel with Vancouver Opera; Weingartner’s Orestes at Theater Erfurt; and Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at Theater Erfurt.
In 2017 Prior became Chief Conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. His tenure was widely hailed as an era of extraordinary artistic excellence and growth. The 2025–26 season marks Prior’s debut as Music Director and Conductor of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, with programming highlights including Bernstein’s West Side Story; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”); Duke Ellington’s Harlem, as well as Handel’s Messiah (arr. Eugene Goossens).
Recent projects include a studio recording of Richard Strauss’s Salome with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería of Mexico City, featuring Ambur Braid in the title role alongside Nicholas Brownlee, Stephan Vinke, and Lindsay Ammann. This marks the first studio recording of a German opera to be produced in Latin America and is scheduled for release in May 2026. Prior passionately believes in the power of music to bring people of all backgrounds and abilities together to inspire a better understanding of our shared humanity.
