by Steven Pisano
Conductor Alondra de la Parra is something of an anomaly. Aside from being a woman – still a rarity in the classical music world – she was raised in a country (Mexico) which isn't exactly heralded for it's contributions to classical music. Still, de la Parra, 34, has managed to carve out a successful career, first as music director of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas - which she founded when she was still a student in order to showcase composers and performers from the Americas - and more recently as a globetrotting guest conductor.
Fresh off of Saturday's Town Hall concert commemorating the Latin American holiday of El Dia de los Muertos (“The Day of the Dead”), we had the chance to sit with Alondra to talk about her career, her Mexican heritage, and her love of music – classical and otherwise.
On Being A Mexican Conductor: I was raised in Mexico – my parents are Mexican – and I still live there. I think growing up there gave me a sense of rhythm and a very particular sense of musicality and musicianship which I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t Latina, and specifically Mexican. Though nowadays, since I’ve lived in many places and move three or four times a month from one place to the other, I feel more like a citizen of the world. But my Mexican roots and my Mexican soul – that’s why I named my album Mi Alma Mexicana – will always remain.
On Latin American Composers: I love showing the world that Mexican culture is much more than the clichés that people know us by, that we do have folklore, but not every piece of music is based on this. We also have music that is contemporary, that is inspired by European music, and I just like sharing the music of Latin American countries as being competitive in quality with music from anywhere else in the world.
On Concert Programming: I think that programming is crucial to engaging audiences, and should reflect the world today. I like programs where everybody who comes to the concert hall will leave absolutely loving one piece and maybe hating another one, because that will mean that we have challenged everyone and we have also satisfied everyone. To me, that is the key of programming, because playing and performing the same old pieces that everybody plays is not interesting and only serves to work against the art and against the industry. I like mixing programs, from different countries, from different compositional styles. It’s all about contrast. Our world is full of contrast, and that should be reflected in our music.
On Being a Freelance Conductor: I would love to have a permanent orchestra, since right now my life is really hectic, and even though I’m conducting wonderful orchestras like the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, my life is always on a plane and in hotels. I would love to have a more permanent job that would allow me to build something and to construct a relationship with the musicians and the community that would result in a more lasting and deeper effect. (Note: de la Parra is a finalist to become the next music director of the Orlando Philharmonic.)
On Popular Music: I grew up listening to all sorts of music–pop music, popular Mexican folklore, opera, jazz, and, of course, orchestral classical music, which is still my favorite since then. And I played, I would say, in about ten different bands, and my first band was when I was 7 years old. So my connection to popular music has always been there and always will be.