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A Polish violist and oboist with expertise in science and maths.
A Russian pianist and winner of 15 international piano contests.
A Brazilian gold medallist in orchestra conducting and composition who grew up on a Kibbutz.
A Russian-born, Austrian-raised world-renowned violinist who rocks out with Deep Purple.
What do all these women have in common?
They’ll be performing in Durban this month, with the first concert taking place tonight!
The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026 Early Spring Season has a strong female presence, with three concerts planned at the Playhouse Opera Theatre. The first two performances put the spotlight firmly on these exceptional women musicians.
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Week one: Meet the mathematician maestro
Opening the season on Thursday, 20 August is Polish conductor Barbara Dragan, whose career spans symphonic, operatic, and contemporary repertoire.
Born into a Polish family of scientists, Dragan began playing violin at just five and later trained as an oboist. Alongside her music studies, she completed final examinations in mathematics and physics and still plays the baroque violin.
“This programme reminds us that strength doesn’t have just one sound or one shape. In Brahms and Dvořák, we find power alongside vulnerability and intimacy, freedom, individuality, and joy,” Dragan told Time Out Durban.
“These contrasts reflect something essential about female strength: it doesn’t need to fit a single definition. Women’s Month is a celebration rooted in courage - in women finding their collective voice and refusing to be confined by what was expected of them. I believe this diversity - in music, in women, and in the ways we live our lives - is exactly what we should be celebrating!”
Joining Dragan is Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva, a multi-talented individual who speaks many languages, including Ossetian - a lesser-known language recognised for its cultural significance!
She started piano lessons aged four, performing publicly at five, and appearing with an orchestra for the first time at just eight! She has since won prizes at more than 15 international piano competitions and now lives in Berlin.
Together, they tackle Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, followed by Dvořák’s joyous Symphony No. 8.
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Week two: A first for French orchestras
The following week (Thursday, 27 August) brings another formidable pairing: Brazilian-born conductor Débora Waldman and violinist Lidia Baich.
Débora Waldman made history when she became the first woman to lead a permanent French national orchestra, taking up the position of Music Director of the Orchestre national Avignon-Provence in 2020.
Her musical education is equally international. Born in São Paulo, she lived in Israel on a Kibbutz before moving to Argentina aged 14, where she became the only student in the history of her university to receive two gold medals: in orchestra conducting and composition.
Appointed Music Director of the Orchestre national Avignon-Provence in 2020, a position renewed through 2026, Waldman became the first woman to lead a permanent French national orchestra.
Commenting on the upcoming performance, she says, “These dances are based on popular melodies collected by the composer in the villages of his homeland, Hungary. A freshness, an irresistible orchestral momentum that delights the ears!”
Joining her is violinist Lidia Baich, who was born in Russia and raised in Austria. She picked up the violin at four, under the tutelage of her grandfather, and has gone on to become one of the most versatile violin soloists of our time. She also has a rather unexpected side gig: performing with rock legends, Deep Purple!
The programme opens with Kodály’s energetic Dances of Galánta, followed by Bruch’s lush Violin Concerto No. 1, before Sibelius’ magnificent Symphony No. 5 closes the evening.
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Week three: Mozart takes over
The season finale (on Thursday, 3 September) shifts the spotlight, with conductor Leon Bosch leading the orchestra and piano duo Xin Wang and Florian Koltun taking on Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos.
The evening starts with Rossini’s lively Barber of Seville Overture, before Mozart’s two-piano concerto takes centre stage. The season then ends with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39.
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What you need to know
- What: KZN Philharmonic Orchestra 2026 Early Spring Season
- Where: Playhouse Opera Theatre, 231 Anton Lembede Street, Durban
- When: Thursday 20 August, Thursday 27 August and Thursday 3 September 2026
- Time: 7pm
- Tickets: Individual tickets are available through Quicket. Season tickets are available from the KZN Philharmonic office.
- Bookings and information: 031 369 9438 or info@kznphil.org.za
- Park and Ride: Services are available from St Agnes Church in the Upper Highway, Grace Family Church on the North Coast, Westville Senior Primary and Caister Lodge in Berea. Departure times range from 5.50pm to 6.20pm.
“We invite our family of music lovers in Durban and across KZN, to join us for our exciting Early Spring Season,” says Bongani Tembe, KZN Philharmonic’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director. “The season invites lifelong aficionados and first-time symphony attendees alike to step into the auditorium and experience the unmatched magic of live orchestral music.”
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