Alondra de la Parra

Alondra de la Parra is a Mexican conductor recognized for her contributions to classical music and orchestral leadership. De la Parra holds the distinction of being the first Mexican woman to conduct in New York City and serves as an official Cultural Ambassador of Mexico. She attended the Manhattan School of Music as a Presser Scholarship recipient, earning a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a master's degree in orchestra conducting, both with highest honors.

De la Parra founded the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas to provide a platform for young performers and composers from the Americas. Her debut album with the orchestra, "Mi Alma Mexicana" ("My Mexican Soul"), released by Sony Classical, reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Classical Chart and became the first classical recording in over a decade to achieve Platinum Status in Mexico. Her subsequent album, "Travieso Carmesi," featured three Mexican female singers, including Natalia Lafourcade. Throughout her career, de la Parra has performed lesser-known orchestral works by Mexican composers and collaborated with artists such as Geoffrey Rush, Robert Redford, Michel Gondry, Christopher Wheeldon, Gloria Estefan, and Gustavo Santaolalla.

De la Parra became the first Mexican woman to conduct in New York and the first female and first Mexican to lead Orchestre de Paris. She is a regular guest at Royal Opera House in London, where she was the first Mexican conductor to perform. She also served as the first Music Director of an Australian orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, where she expanded the repertoire and strengthened community engagement. Her life and career were the subject of the documentary "La Maestra," which aired on PBS and provided an in-depth look at her work as an orchestra conductor.

De la Parra has conducted more than 100 orchestras worldwide, including Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Her repertoire spans Baroque to contemporary music, with particular recognition for interpretations of early twentieth-century works by Mahler, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Debussy, as well as advocacy for composers from Latin America. She has received the Pablo Casals Award from the Manhattan School of Music and a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction.

De la Parra was appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of ORCAM, the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid. She frequently performs with Plácido Domingo and co-created "The Silence of Sound," a multidisciplinary performance featuring a philharmonic orchestra, a clown actress, and a video installation. De la Parra is known for her commitment to expanding the reach of orchestral music and fostering cultural exchange within the classical music industry.