Eckart Preu is Music Director of the Long Beach Symphony, the Portland Symphony, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. 

Previously, he held positions of Music Director with the Spokane Symphony (WA) and Stamford Symphony (CT), and served as Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony (VA), and Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (NY). In Europe, Mr. Preu was Music Director of the Orchestre International de Paris from 1993-95. 

His guest conducting engagements have included concerts with the Jerusalem Symphony (Israel), Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand), Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco (Mexico), Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogota (Columbia), State Orchestra in Halle (Germany), Christchurch Symphony (New Zealand), and multiple appearances with the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, and the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife (Spain).

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A sought-after guest conductor in the US he has appeared with the American Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Symphony, and others. 

Career highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Sorbonne in Paris, and projects with Violins of Hope in Cincinnati, Long Beach, and Portland.

His first commercial recording was the world premiere of “Letters from Lincoln”, a work commissioned by the Spokane Symphony from Michael Daugherty, featuring baritone soloist Thomas Hampson. With the Portland Symphony Orchestra, he recorded the first commercial recordings of  Arturo Marquez’ “Mascaras”, Ana Lara’s “Angeles de llama y hielo” (Angels of Flame and Ice), and Enrico Chapela’s “Rotor”.

He has collaborated with internationally renowned soloists including Sarah Chang, Pepe Romero, Arturo Sandoval, Stephen Hough, Evelyn Glennie, Anne Akiko Meyers, Jeremy Denk, Leila Josefowicz, Louis Lortie,  Richard Stoltzman, and many others.

A native of Germany, Mr. Preu earned a master's degree in conducting from the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar studying under Gunter Kahlert. He also studied under Jean-Sebastien Bereau at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in France. Mr. Preu’s education was made possible by scholarships from the Herbert von Karajan Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the French Ministry of Culture.

Eckart Preu’s early musical training was in piano and voice. At the age of 10, he became a member of the Boys Choir Dresdner Kreuzchor and went on to work with them as soloist, rehearsal pianist, and Assistant Conductor.