Biography
Alejandra Urrutia
Orchestra conductor
Alejandra is a recognized presence on the international podium. She has the ability to go from a powerful and intense Mahler to the refinement and subtlety of Mozart. She is one of those orchestra conductors who understand the power of silence in both music and life and combines a profound and abiding calm with her great love for music.
In 2025, she made her debut in Berlin with the Konzerthaus Orchester and during the 2026/2027 season, she debuts with the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra in Mexico, the Bochumer Symphoniker in Germany, the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra in Brazil, and the Calgary Philharmonic in Canada, amongst others. She will also return to conduct the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, the University of São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the University of Concepción Symphony Orchestra and the Sinfonie Orchester Biel-Solothurn in Switzerland.
In 2024, Forbes Chile named her one of Chile’s most creative people and, in the same year, ranked her amongst the 50 most powerful women in Chile. Also in 2024, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s Spanish-language service, through its programme “Fuerza Latina”, produced a short documentary about Alejandra and her vision of how music can transform the world, whilst TVN (Televisión Nacional de Chile) released the documentary “10 Chilean Women Who Are Changing the World”, in which an hour long episode was dedicated to Alejandra, her musical career and her projects.
Alejandra Urrutia was part of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, the mentorship program for female conductors led by Marin Alsop. At the beginning of 2023, she became an “Artista FIA,” in recognition for being the most important Chilean female orchestra conductor, with a career of great international projection.
Alejandra is the recipient of the Mahler Award bestowed in 2020 by the Sociedad Mahler México, which has also been granted to Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink and Gustavo Dudamel, among others.
She is currently Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chilean National Opera). Alejandra Urrutia was Music Director of the Orquesta de Cámara de Chile and, previously, Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial de Santa Fe, Argentina, for three years.
In addition, she is the Artistic and Music Director of the Portillo International Music Festival and Academy, the Gran Concierto por la Hermandad, and the HUB for Women Conductors and she is one of the founders of Vibra Clásica, an organisation through which she carries out these major projects with a global impact.
From 2018 to 2021 Alejandra Urrutia was assistant conductor to maestro Ivan Fischer (Konzerthausorchester in Berlin and Budapest Festival Orchestra).
In January 2019, Alejandra launched one of the most innovative projects in Chile, the Portillo International Music Academy Festival, of which she is artistic and musical director. This immersive training for young musicians takes place in the majestic Andes Mountains. The focus is on learning the chamber and orchestral music repertoire with international teachers, and also includes leadership coaching and body awareness work, offering a comprehensive development space for talented emerging artists from Latin America and the world.
As creator and general director of the Great Concert for the Brotherhood, Alejandra Urrutia annually brings together more than 100 instrumental musicians and a citizen choir of around 200 people convened by the motto “Music, as a shared territory”, in a beautiful project born as a message of unity. In January 2026, a piece entitled “Raíces y Alas” (Roots&Wings) was commissioned from the Chilean composer Sebastián Errázuriz, in honour of the Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Gabriela Mistral, and the children of the world – whom Gabriela loved most of all.
Throughout her artistic career, Alejandra Urrutia has worked with orchestras in Europe, North America and Latin America, including: Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester; Biel Solothurn Orchestra, Ensamble Orchestral du Paris, the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra, New York Chamber Players and the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra of Aspen, United States. The Bahia Blanca Provincial Symphony Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosario Provincial Symphony Orchestra in Argentina, Teatro Colón Academic Orchestra, Mendoza Philharmonic Orchestra with pianist Bruno Gelber, Córdoba Provincial Symphony Orchestra in Argentina, National Symphony Orchestra of UFF in Niteroi, Brazil. Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra, Sodre Symphony Orchestra in Uruguay. In Chile she has worked with the country’s main orchestras, including: Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile – with which she performed the first concert on Easter Island together in 2014 with pianist Mahani Teave. She was also a guest director in the 2015 summer seasons at the Frutillar Musical Weeks; Nuble Symphony Orchestra, Valdivia Chamber Orchestra, Temuco Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the University of Concepción, Chamber Orchestra of the Catholic University of Chile, La Serena Symphony Orchestra, Classical Orchestra of the University of Santiago, Philharmonic Orchestra de los Ríos and Maule Regional Orchestra.
In 2016, the violinist Dorian Lamotte, together with Emmanuele Thery of the Belgian label Le Chant de Linos and Alejandra, recorded music by Latin American composers: Orogenika II for violin and orchestra by maestro Santiago Vera-Rivera and Camino al Norte suite for violin and orchestra by the maestro Esteban D’Antona.
In January 2017, together with the Chilean Chamber Orchestra, they recorded Danza d’Amore, Primavera, Tempo di Gavotta and Romanza sin Palabras by maestro Enrique Soro; Andean Moment by maestro Vicente Bianchi. In February 2013, she recorded an album for CRS Artists with the New York Chamber Players with works by North American composers, including John Schlenck’s Fanfare and Variations for Chamber Orchestra, John Russo’s Three Studies for Clarinet and Orchestra and Giacomo Francis Three Variations on a Theme of Michael Levy for Piano and Orchestra. In November 2012, she worked with the American composer, Gabriela Lena Frank, on the premiere of the “Suite Compadre Huashayo”, a classic work that includes the roots of Andean music. On this occasion presented together with the Orquesta de Instrumentos Andinos de Quito, a unique group in the world. A documentary of this work has been edited for the American television channel PBS. The same year Alejandra recorded an album with the Chilean guitarist Carlos Pérez and the Classical Orchestra of the University of Santiago de Chile called: “Two Latin American Concerts” , with works by Leo Brouwer and Antonio Lauro.
Born in Concepción, Chile. She has studied with teachers such as Robert Spano and Hugh Wolff at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, in addition to participating in courses with teachers Marin Alsop, Kenneth Kiesler, Gustav Meier, Hans Graf, Larry Rachleff and Murry Sidlin. She has worked internationally as a conductor, violinist and educator with academic training at the University of Michigan in the United States.
Alejandra Urrutia is a Fanjul & Ward artist.