Classical Latina Stars
Alondra de la Parra and Ailyn Pérez
By Mark Holston
The classical music world, above all else,
rewards exceptional talent. When a
supremely talented artist has the rare
ability to also command the stage through the force
of their personal charisma, the stars are in perfect
alignment to produce a mega celebrity. Such is the
case with two Latinas superstars who are
currently setting the international opera and
symphonic music scene ablaze with their
musicianship and visceral appeal.
Although both women have their Mexican
ancestry in common, their ascension to superstar
status has been achieved through remarkably
dissimilar circumstances. New York City-born
symphony conductor Alondra de la Parra, for
instance, was born into an upper-class family. Her
mother Graciela Borja was an academic, and her
father Manelick de la Parra, an author. The family
moved back to Mexico City when she was a young
child where Alondra studied piano and cello at a
school for music. Opera soprano Ailyn Pérez, on the
other hand, grew up in a working-class immigrant
family in a Chicago suburb, the eldest of three
children. Her parents were from two small towns
near Guadalajara and her father spent most of his
career toiling in a candy factory. Two uncles who had
migrated to California marched with civil rights
advocate César Chávez. Ailyn’s early music training
was provided by public schools.
What both Latinas share, however, is a passion
for music that reflects their Mexican heritage. De la
Parra’s initial fame stems from her collaboration
in 2003 with the Mexican Consulate in New
York City to establish an ensemble to perform the
music of Mexican classical composers. That led to
her establish several years later of the Philharmonic
Orchestra of the Americas. The release in 2010
of a critically-acclaimed recording, Mi Alma
Mexicana – My Mexican Soul (Sony Classical) further
enhanced De la Parra’s growing reputation.
Alondra de la Parra with Tonhalle Orchester Zürich.
22 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 26, No. 1, 2020
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