Conductor
Fernanda Lastra holds the position of Assistant Conductor, Diversity Fellow for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the mentorship of JoAnn Falletta. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she is a passionate and creative conductor recognized for her artistic leadership and engaging performances.
Committed to featuring diverse voices in concert halls, Lastra is an advocate for Latin American composers, particularly those from Argentina. She is equally dedicated to creating well-balanced and diverse programs that enhance the overall concert experience. In addition, Lastra is passionate about community engagement and music education, believing in the transformative power of music to unite, heal, and develop emotional intelligence.
In 2022, Lastra was appointed Conductor Diversity Fellow and was promoted in 2023, accompanied by a one-year contract extension. In this role she serves as assistant conductor, cover conductor, and main conductor for the BPO Family Kids series, Music for Youth concerts, and community engagement performances. Lastra 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.
As an assistant and cover conductor, Lastra has worked alongside esteemed conductors such as JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Maximiano Valdés, Gerard Schwarz, Mei-Ann Chen, Joseph Caballé-Domenech, and Michael Francis, among others. Additionally, she has collaborated with artists such as Aida Cuevas, Jay White, Jeans’n Classics, and Michael Grandinetti for Pops and special concerts. In May 2025, Lastra is scheduled to make her debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic in the classic series featuring pianist Avery Gagliano.
Apart from her leadership role with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lastra regularly collaborates as a guest conductor with professional and youth orchestras. Past performances have involved engagements with the Walla Walla Symphony as a music director candidate, The Birch Festival, where she collaborated with musicians from the Boston Symphony, and the Pacific Conservatory of Music. Upcoming collaborations include engagements with the South Bend Symphony, the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra.
In 2023, Lastra received a prestigious recognition from Argentina's National Classical Radio at their annual "Premios Nacional Clásica" 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.
In 2022, Lastra led the production of Missy Mazzoli's opera, Song from the Uproar, in collaboration with Demaskus Theatre and Kassia Ensemble in Pittsburgh. She also conducted the National Orchestra of Argentine Music "Juan de Dios Filiberto" at the CCK National Auditorium in Buenos Aires. Older engagements include leading the University of Iowa’s 2019 production of Little Women by Mark Adamo, the Revival Theatre Company's production of the legendary musical Oklahoma, and serving as an assistant conductor for for Cavalleria Rusticana for Musiques des Lumières.
Previous career highlights for Lastra include her participation in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2021 and 2022, led by Cristian Măcelaru, reaching the finals for the Assistant Conductor position at the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and earning First Prize in the conducting competition held by Opéra de Baugé in France in 2018.
As a conductor-educator Lastra served as Director of Orchestras at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL (2021-22), as Assistant Conductor for the UI Symphony Orchestra (2018-22) and for the PSU Philharmonic (2016-18), as a conductor for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra (2016-17), as a professor of orchestral activities at El Sistema in Argentina (2008-12), and as faculty at La Plata University, Argentina (2005-2016). In 2013, Lastra founded "La Trama Ensamble," an instrumental training ensemble, which she led for four years as music and artistic director.
Lastra holds two Bachelor's degrees in Orchestral and Choral Conducting from La Plata National University, a Master's degree in Orchestral Conducting from Penn State University, and a Doctoral degree in Orchestral Conducting from The University of Iowa. Additionally, she has a background in ballet training and over 15 years of experience as a chorus member performing masterworks and a cappella repertoire.
