ABOUT
Argentine conductor Fernanda Lastra brings to the podium a conviction that music holds more than any word can contain, and that a live orchestra, at its best, reveals that truth to all who share the experience.
Recent seasons have established Lastra's presence with prominent orchestras in the United States and abroad. Highlights include the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM (OFUNAM) in Mexico City, and her debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile. As a guest conductor this season, she leads the Lima Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Orchestra Iowa, and returns to the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra. As a cover conductor, she has served with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Portland Symphony Orchestra. In 2027, she rejoins Minnesota for a third consecutive season.
From 2022 to 2025, Lastra served as Assistant Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in close collaboration with Music Director JoAnn Falletta. In her final season she made her debut on the orchestra's Classics series with pianist Avery Gagliano. Across her three-year tenure, she covered the orchestra's full 40-week season and designed and led the Family, Youth, and Summer concert series. Lastra holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa, a Master's from Penn State University, and a Bachelor's from the National University of La Plata in Argentina, all in orchestral conducting.
