I’m hungry for heroines: inspiring, dynamic, kick-ass, glass-ceiling-busting women doing cool things. And one of my latest obsessions is Alondra de la Parra, founder and conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. She’s 28 years old, grew up in Mexico City, and started the orchestra five years ago while studying at the Manhattan School of Music. Her mission: to bring the music of the Americas to audiences while providing an opportunity for young musicians to kick off their orchestral careers. That’s right: at an age when most of us were still racking up student loans, spending them on cheap alcohol, and lurching about drunkenly to Britney Spears’ “Oops … I Did It Again,” she founded an orchestra. And her musical talent seems to be matched by her flair for fundraising, because now that orchestra is going strong, and at the two gala concerts I attended the audience was a veritable parade of well-heeled, flamboyantly-dressed Latin American glitterati.
As for Ms. de la Parra, she is gorgeously glam, but getting dressed must be a challenge for the female conductor. For one thing, the audience is getting the rear view. You want to look elegant; you don’t want an entire concert hall staring at your derriere. You also need a lot of freedom of movement. I think there’s a wonderful opportunity here for a smart female designer (Isabel Toledo? Carolina Herrera? Stella McCartney?) to create some custom-made conducting outfits for Ms. de la Parra. Admittedly, there’s not a huge market for women’s conducting garb right now, but thanks to A. d. l. P., that might be about to change.
The POA’s repertoire is populist and accessible; it’s also inclusive of composers and musical styles that the canon of orchestral music traditionally ignores. RIP DWEMs (Dead While European Males). Viva Alondra and the POA!
She sounds absolutely wonderful – and yes, very glam! Fantastic. More HEROINES! Please! xx