2025 Nebraska All-State OrchestraPAGE QUICK LINKS
2025 ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORFernanda Lastra holds the position of Assistant 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, she 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 at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra 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, Michael Grandinetti, and Troupe Vertigo, 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 South Bend Symphony, the Walla Walla Symphony, The Birch Festival, where she collaborated with musicians from the Boston Symphony, and the Pacific Conservatory of Music. Upcoming collaborations include engagements with the the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, the Portland Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. 2025 ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA REPERTOIRE
2025 ALL-STATE REGISTRATION & AUDITION DATES
All High School instrumental directors have from September 17 at 8:00 AM CST until 11:59 PM CST on September 27 to make sure your students’ auditions have been submitted correctly. These deadlines will not be extended for any reason. Auditions must be completed in the timeframe approved by the NMEA board. No students will be allowed to submit an audition for All-State once the published closing date has passed because of illness or any other unforeseen events. Please make sure you follow all of the guidelines in this manual to help you and your students be successful. AUDITIONS MANUALClick the link below to view the 2025 Auditions Manual for ALL high school All-State ensembles. You can use the Table of Contents to jump to any specific area in the manual. Please read through this document carefully as it contains important information, including All-State eligibility requirements and other policies, contact information, step-by-step instructions on how to navigate Festival Scores, and more! All-State Auditions Manual (ALL ENSEMBLES)2025 AUDITION MATERIALSNMEA will utilize the services of Festival Scores to collect student auditions. Auditions will include:
1. All-State Scale Sheets (click each link to download) Please see the 2025 All-State Scales & Audition Requirements for Strings to view the scales chosen for the 2025 audition season.
2. All-State Etudes (click each link to download)
Disclaimer: There may not be a harp part available based on the repertoire selected by the conductor and approved by the board. 3. All-State Orchestra Music Excerpts (click the name of each instrument to download) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conductor, Diversity Fellow for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the mentorship of JoAnn Falletta. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Lastra is a passionate and creative conductor recognized for her artistic leadership and engaging performances.
