Alondra de la Parra

Alondra de la ParraAlondra de la Parra. Photo © Peter Rigaud

People’s Choice: Australian Artist of the Year

It definitely breaks my heart that I’m not coming back to Australia next year but it’s the healthiest choice for me and my family. – Alondra de la Parra

Read our interview with Alondra de la Parra

In May 2015, Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra made her debut with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and by October she was named as the orchestra’s Music Director, a three-year posting she would begin in 2017. She became the first woman to head up one of Australia’s state symphony orchestras.

Limelight critic Paul Ballam-Cross described Alondra de la Parra as “an incredibly talented and charismatic conductor,” following her highly successful Latin American Gala concert with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra – billed as ‘Alondra hosts Mexico vs Brazil’ – in August last year, adding that “QSO is definitely lucky to...