Alondra de la Parra

Photo: Leonardo Manzo.

Alondra de la Parra has conducted many highly renowned orchestras in the world, including the Orchestra of Paris, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchestra Zürich, Swedish Radio Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Le Verbier Festival Orchestra (VFO), the BBC Philharmonic, the Rundfunk-Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, and L’Orchestra – Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. 

In 2004, at the age of 23, while studying piano and conducting at the Manhattan School of Music, de la Parra founded the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (POA) with the goal of creating an orchestra to showcase young performers and composers from the Americas, placing the music of the Americas among the standard orchestral repertoire. Her first recording, Mi Alma Mexicana, was released by Sony Classical to celebrate the Anniversary of Mexico’s Bicentennial. It reached the top 10 of the US classical music charts and was the first classical music recording in Mexico to reach platinum sales, which it achieved in just 2 months. 

She made her Royal Ballet debut on the company’s 2017 tour to Australia, conducting The Winter’s Tale. Throughout 2017-2019, de la Parra was Music Director of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. De la Parra serves as a regular guest at the Royal Opera House in London, being the institution’s first Mexican orchestra conductor. She most recently directed the acclaimed world premiere of Joby Talbot’s ballet Like Water for Chocolate for The Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House. De la Parra continues with American Ballet Theatre in the co-production of Like Water for Chocolate, traveling to Segerstrom Center for the Arts and to the Metropolitan Opera House, where she holds distinction of being the first Mexican woman to conduct professionally in New York City. 

In April 2022, de la Parra was named principal guest conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, marking a new chapter for the artist. In this role, de la Parra will conduct the orchestra twice a season for the next two years. Her compelling musical vision and her passion have made her a respected artist around the world.