About

Barbara Dragan is one of the most exciting batons in Europe and was named Young Associate Conductor at Orchestre National de France for the 2023/24 season.
Dragan has led renowned orchestras such as Orchestre National de France, NOSPR Katowice, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Sinfonia Varsovia, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Bochumer Symphoniker, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Magdeburgische Philharmonie, Festival Orchestra Wien, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt.

Born into a Polish family of scientists, Dragan started playing violin at the age of five. While studying violin and oboe, she passed her final exams in advanced mathematics and physics, though music would have the last word. Dragan studied at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg and at Universität der Künste in Berlin.
She acted as Conducting Fellow at Cabrillo New Music Festival in Santa Cruz and Ravinia Festival in Chicago. In 2021/22 season she was named Conducting Fellow at the Dallas Opera Hart Institute and was also the recipient of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF). She is assisting Cristian Măcelaru, Kazuki Yamada, Daniele Gatti, François-Xavier Roth, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and Trevor Pinnock, among others.

Dragan recorded the musical fairy tale “Lena and the Enchanted Orchestra” composed by Mathieu Lamboley, recently released in French and published by Éditions Gallimard, to warm reviews. With a specialty in Mozart, Franck, and Ravel, her direction of Gounod’s Faust was lauded for how it “maintained taut control … suavely managed tension and phrased naturally” (Scott Cantrell, Dallas News).

Upcoming highlights include recordings with the ONF for the Paris Olympic Games 2024, and debuts at Opera de Toulon, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Sinfonia Varsovia, Philharmonic Choir Tokyo, and Symphony Nova Scotia.

Video

Recordings

Léna et l'orchestre enchanté - Album by Gallimard Jeunesse, Mathieu Lamboley, Orchestre National De France

Léna et l’orchestre enchanté with Orchestre National de France, 2022 for Gallimard Jeunesse

Le Secret de la Licorne : les Aventures de Tintin

Music to podcast “TinTin et le Secret de la Licorne” with Orchestre National de France, 2023 for France Music

Event list

  • Mon
    31
    Jan
    2022
    Thu
    03
    Feb
    2022

    Campus Dirigieren 2

    Perotti – Sights of light – prapremiere; Strauss – Till Eulenspiegel

    HfMT Köln

  • Wed
    23
    Feb
    2022

    Concert NOSPR Katowice

    Beethoven – 5. Symphony, Britten – Young Person’s Guide

    NOSPR Katowice

    https://nospr.org.pl/pl/kalendarz/ferie-z-nospr-przewodnik-po-orkiestrze

  • Thu
    21
    Apr
    2022

    Rachmaninov – 2. Piano Concerto

    Hamburger Symphoniker, Hamburg

  • Wed
    04
    May
    2022

    Mozart – Cosi fan Tutte

    HfMT Hamburg, Steiner Haus

  • Thu
    02
    Jun
    2022
    Sun
    05
    Jun
    2022

    Svetlanov Competition in Monaco

    Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

  • Fri
    08
    Jul
    2022

    Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem

    HfMT Hamburg

  • Sat
    23
    Jul
    2022
    Wed
    27
    Jul
    2022

    Cabrillo Festival

    Wenbin Lyu „Germination” – prapremiere

  • Thu
    28
    Jul
    2022
    Mon
    01
    Aug
    2022

    Ravinia Festival Chicago

    "Breaking Barriers"

  • Mon
    15
    Aug
    2022
    Thu
    18
    Aug
    2022

    Princess Astrid Competition in Trondheim

    Trondheim Symfoniorkester

  • Thu
    15
    Sep
    2022

    Ravel La Valse, Poulenc Gloria

    Orchestre National de France

    Cover Conductor for Cristian Macelaru

  • Tue
    20
    Sep
    2022
    Thu
    22
    Sep
    2022

    Mathieu Lamobley  „Lena et l’Orchestre enchante” – prapremiere/recording

    Orchestre National de France

  • Thu
    13
    Oct
    2022

    Symphony Nova Scotia

    Clyne - Dance, Beethoven - 5 Symphony, Wijeratne -Polyphonic Lively

    Inbal Segev cello, Holly Mathieson direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

     

     

  • Thu
    17
    Nov
    2022

    Kodaly – Dances of Galanta; Bartok – Concerto for orchestra; Mozart – Violin concerto No 5

    Philharmonie de Paris

    Orchestre National de France

    Maxim Vengerov violin, Cristian Măcelaru direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Thu
    24
    Nov
    2022

    Ravel - Ma Mère l'Oye, Scriabine - Piano concerto, Franck- Symphony

    Orchestre National de France

    Daniil Trifonov piano, Cristian Măcelaru direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Thu
    24
    Nov
    2022

    Ravel - Bolero and La Valse

    HSO Hamburg

  • Sat
    26
    Nov
    2022
    Thu
    08
    Dec
    2022

    Orchestre National de France on Tour

    Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Vienna

    Taniil Trifonov piano, Xavier de Maistre harp

    Cristian Măcelaru direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Sun
    18
    Dec
    2022

    Ligeti - Hamburgisches Konzert

    HfMT Hamburg, Szabolcs Zempléni horn

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