Local business leaders are ready to chip in and help pay part of the salary of Alondra de la Parra, the 31-year-old New York-born conductor who was named the new music director of the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) just before Easter.
The Jalisco Culture Department issued a press release to announce its decision to hire the youthful and energetic De la Parra. The official unveiling of the conductor is expected at a later date since she has several international engagements to fulfill through July, including two concerts in Chicago later this month.
De la Parra was appointed to head one of Mexico’s most prestigious orchestras after an almost year-long search. Suitable candidates had reportedly turned down the job after being unimpressed with the salary.
Alejandro Elizalde of the orchestra’s governing body (Patronato) said last week that the extra money required to secure the services of De la Parra will be provided by private enterprise and would not affect the overall JPO budget.
Although the Patronato has not revealed De la Parra’s base wage, the additional payments could be as high as 60,000 pesos a month, some sources say.
Elizalde told reporters that Jalisco would reap benefits both economically and touristically from having a dynamic, female figure such as De la Parra leading the state orchestra.One factor that apparently swayed her decision to take the job was the support of the JPO musicians. De la Parra guest conducted two of the six concerts given by the JPO in February and March.
Career
Born in New York City in 1980, De la Parra moved to Mexico with her parents at age two. She began playing the piano at age seven and the cello at 13. At 15, she went to boarding school in England to study music and later studied composition at the Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Musicales in Mexico City before moving back to New York at age 19. There she attended the Manhattan School of Music, studying piano with Jeffrey Cohen and conducting with Kenneth Kiesler. She holds a a B.A. in piano performance and an M.M. in conducting.
De la Parra founded the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (POA) in 2004. Her mission was to create an orchestra to showcase young performers and composers from the American continent.
In September 2010, De la Parra and POA performed during Mexico’s national celebration of the country’s bicentennial. She is frequently in demand as a guest conductor all over the world and has been featured on NBC’s Today Show. Crain’s New York Business showcased her as one of their “40 under 40 New York’s Rising Stars.”
Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, De la Parra has led symphony orchestras not only across the United States and in Mexico, but also Canada, Germany, Brazil, Denmark, Russia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and Singapore.
De la Parra’s vibrant conducting style has earned her plaudits from critics around the world. “Her electric, precise and energetic fluidity generated arches of breathtaking, glowing expression,” the San Antonio Express News said after one performance.
One Mexico City based critic called her “the bravest young conductor we have in Mexico at this moment.”