Assistant Conductor, Diversity Fellow
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 as the Conductor Diversity Fellow and was promoted in 2023, which also came with a one-year contract extension. In this role, Fernanda serves as Assistant Conductor, cover conductor, and main conductor for various BPO performances including the Kids series, Music for Youth concerts, Summer series concerts, and community engagement performances. Additionally, Fernanda is a member of the BPO's artistic team, music education committee, and Diversity Council, among other responsibilities.
Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Fernanda Lastra is a passionate and creative conductor with a wide range of interests in repertoire, including symphonic, contemporary, and operatic works. In May 2025, Fernanda is scheduled to make her debut in the BPO’s Classics series, featuring pianist Avery Gagliano.
Besides regularly leading the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in several concerts as part of her role as Assistant Conductor, Fernanda collaborates with professional and youth orchestras as a guest conductor. One of her previous engagements includes leading three full performances of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale alongside musicians from the Boston Symphony at The Birch Festival, held in the Berkshires, Massachusetts. As an assistant and cover conductor, Fernanda has worked alongside esteemed conductors such as JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, Maximiano Valdés, Gerard Schwarz, Mei-Ann Chen, Josep Caballé Domenech, and Michael Francis, among others.
Committed to featuring diverse voices in concert halls, Fernanda 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. Fernanda is passionate about community engagement and music education, as she believes in the transformative power of music to unite, heal, and to develop emotional intelligence.
In November 2024, Fernanda will receive the "Career Advancement Award" at the Women in Classical Music Symposium hosted by the Dallas Symphony. Additionally, 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."
Fernanda earned two bachelor’s degrees from La Plata University, Argentina, in orchestral and choral conducting, a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Penn State University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Iowa. She is trained in piano and viola.
The Conductor Diversity Fellow is sponsored by Uniland.
