Conductor
Fernanda Lastra holds the position of Assistant Conductor, Diversity Fellow for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the mentorship of JoAnn Falletta.
In 2022, Fernanda was appointed Conductor Diversity Fellow and was promoted in 2023, accompanied by a one-year contract extension. In this role Fernanda serves as assistant conductor, cover conductor, and main conductor for the BPO Family Kids series, Music for Youth concerts, and community engagement performances. Fernanda also serves as a member of the BPO’s artistic team, the BPO's music education committee and the BPO’s Diversity Council, among other responsibilities.
Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Fernanda Lastra is a passionate and creative conductor interested in a wide variety of repertoire, including symphonic, contemporary, and operatic works.
As guest conductor Fernanda has led professional and youth orchestras in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil. Some previous engagements include conducting the National Orchestra of Argentine Music "Juan de Dios Filiberto" at the CCK National Auditorium in Buenos Aires, and collaborating with Demaskus Theatre and Kassia Ensemble for the production of Missy Mazzoli's opera Song from the Uproar in Pittsburgh. Fernanda Lastra is also a passionate advocate for Latin American composers, especially those from Argentina. In 2020, she created Compositores.AR, a cycle of interviews of Argentinian composers in collaboration with MúsicaClasicaBA in Buenos Aires.
In 2023, Fernanda received a prestigious recognition from Argentina's National Classical Radio at their annual "Premios Nacional Clásica" in the category of "established female conductor," and in November 2024, she will be presented with the "Career Advancement Award" at the Women in Classical Music Symposium held by the Dallas Symphony.
