PBS | Finding Harmony: Music Conductor Paula Nava Madrigal

Producer/Director: Laila Kazmi
Videographer: Resti Bagcal
Video Editor: Amy Mahardy

PBS Seattle, 2018

Paula Nava Madrigal belongs to a strikingly small cohort: female orchestral conductors working in the United States. A Mexican-born musician now based in Los Angeles, Madrigal has built a career that bridges performance, education, and community advocacy, using classical music as both an artistic pursuit and a vehicle for social change.

Music has shaped her life since early childhood. She began singing at five and was playing music seriously by her mid-teens. Conducting entered her life unexpectedly when a university orchestra conductor fell ill and she stepped in to lead. The experience was transformative.

Her presence on the podium also carries powerful symbolic weight—not only because of the music, but because Madrigal is a Latina leading performances that include works by Latino composers. In a field where both women and Latino artists remain underrepresented, her visibility challenges long-standing norms about who belongs in classical music.