Carlos Prieto, generally regarded the foremost Mexican cellist of his generation, has led an illustrious career, dazzling critics and audiences across the globe, premiering more than 80 works, and developing close relationships with Stravinsky and Shostakovich. A true Renaissance man, he is also the author of seven books, holds degrees in engineering and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is the recipient of countless awards from governments, arts organizations, and universities. While his repertory is very broad, from J.S. Bach to Shostakovich and contemporaries, Prieto has made a special effort to advance the cello compositions of Spanish and Latin American composers, having devoted hundreds of concerts and 11 CDs to their works. Prieto's numerous recordings are available from Urtext Digital Classics and PMG Classics. Carlos Prieto was born in Mexico City in 1937. At four he began playing the cello. His teachers would include Imre Hartman, Pierre Fournier (National Conservatory in Geneva), and Leonard Rose (New York City). Prieto also had studies in Russia, where he befriended Shostakovich and, in 1962, accompanied Stravinsky in Moscow when the composer traveled to Russia for a concert tour. In the early '60s, Prieto introduced Shostakovich's 1959 First Cello Concerto in Mexico and Spain. Gradually Prieto built his career and from about 1980 began premiering new works for cello, many of which were written specifically for him by Latin American and Spanish composers. By the turn of the century Prieto was among the foremost musicians to champion contemporary music. He gave high-profile premieres to Eugenio Toussaint's Second Cello Concerto (1999), Roberto Sierra's Cello Concerto (1999), and Arturo Marquez's Concerto (2000), all of which he recorded to great acclaim for the Urtext label. After receiving a string of distinguished awards and citations, Prieto was given the Order of Civil Merit by King Juan Carlos of Spain in 2006, and the following year was awarded the National Prize for the Arts by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Among the more popular of Prieto's six books are his 2006 The Adventures of a Cello, which has been translated into English, Russian, and Portuguese, and the 2008 Throughout China with the Cello. Prieto's more acclaimed recordings include the 2006 Urtext CD of the Shostakovich sonatas for Cello and Piano, Op. 40, and Viola and Piano, Op. 147 (transcribed for cello by Prieto). Prieto often performs and records with his son, Carlos Miguel Prieto, renowned conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.