Canada's Edmonton Symphony Conductor Steps Down

Prior's departure from the orchestra will see him in his new role as Music Director of the Theater Erfurt Opera company and of the associated Erfurt Philharmonic.

Prior has previously served a successful tenure at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) since he became chief conductor of the ESO in the fall of 2017.

During Prior's time with the ESO, he championed two Scandinavian composers not commonly heard in Edmonton: Sibelius and Nielsen. The 2019 Sibelius mini-festival was considered by Prior one of the highlights of his career at the ESO. He will conduct his season’s final two concerts on June 3 and 4, as well as on 17 and 18.

“I think I grew up here. As an artist and as a human and as a leader, you know," Prior told The Edmonton Journal. "I think over my time here Albertan values have really rubbed off on me, and as a result I feel myself perhaps being a kinder and softer person and probably a warmer person. The kindness of other people has really been a daily feature of my time here. I’m just full of love and gratitude for this part of the world. I feel like the audiences are all my friends, you know, and I’ll really miss that.”

Prior will open the opera season in Erfurt in October 2022 with Strauss’ Elektra, with plans for Wagner's Ring cycle. For his opening orchestral concert, he will lead Bruckner's Symphony No.7.

Prior's other conducting engagements have included the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Bavarian State Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among others.

A graduate of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, Prior was a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival. His mentors have included Thomas Dausgaard, Robert Spano, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andrew Manze, and Nicholas McGegan.

As a composer, Prior’s ballet "Mowgli" was commissioned by the Moscow State Ballet and premiered in 2008 at the Kremlin Theatre. In 2020, his opera "Swan Song" premiered in Canada.