Paola Ávila is a Colombian orchestral and choral conductor, celebrated for her artistic leadership and her commitment to social transformation through music. She currently serves as Music Director of the Cartagena Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra at Universidad de los Andes. From 2022 to 2025, she was Music Director of the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra, a professional ensemble of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Her career has spanned leading roles across Latin America, the United States, and Europe. In 2025, she conducted the Ibero-American Youth Orchestra (OJI) during its edition in Panama, becoming the first woman to lead the ensemble since the project’s creation. That same year, she made her debut with Turkey’s Limak Philharmonic Orchestra, as an invited guest conductor by the Embassy of Colombia.

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Paola has guest-conducted the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the Cali Philharmonic, and the Valle del Cauca Symphonic Band, and has collaborated with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (as Cover Conductor), Chicago Sinfonietta, Miami Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Conservatory Youth Orchestra. In the United States, she also served as Lead Conductor for the Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids program.

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Her international presence includes appearances at renowned festivals and academies such as the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia, and the Filharmònica de Cambra de Catalunya in Spain. Her training includes masterclasses with Marin Alsop, Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Cristian Măcelaru, and Markus Stenz. She holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied under Marin Alsop and was awarded the Graduate Award and Scholarship. She is also a Freeman Conducting Fellow alumna of the Chicago Sinfonietta.

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Beyond the podium, Paola is a passionate advocate for women in classical music and for inclusive music education. She has led youth orchestras in Colombia for over a decade, served as a jury member in national competitions, and regularly participates in music festivals across the country. Her work bridges cultures, generations, and musical styles — reflecting her vision of conducting as both artistic expression and a powerful force for connection and change.