Barbara Dragan

Barbara Dragan is recognised for her intellectual curiosity and rigorous approach to musical architecture. Understanding how a work is constructed is the first step towards bringing individual musical voices together in a shared act of listening.

This way of working has shaped her artistic path, leading to her appointment as Young Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National de France in Paris, where she worked alongside Cristian Măcelaru, Daniele Gatti, François-Xavier Roth and Trevor Pinnock. Her work encompassed rehearsals, performances, education projects and recordings. Among these was conducting the orchestral recording for the entire Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, performed by the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre de Paris and broadcast to a global audience. The production earned Dragan a Grammy Award.

Recent and upcoming engagements include debuts with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, Malmö Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, alongside return invitations from the RTVE Symphony Orchestra Madrid, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, among others.

Her work spans symphonic, operatic and contemporary repertoire, with a particular interest in programmes that create dialogue between different periods and musical languages. Her rehearsals are characterised by meticulous preparation, attentive listening and a collaborative approach that encourages orchestras to perform with artistic freedom and shared responsibility.

Originally trained as an oboist and violinist, with a background in historically informed performance, Dragan studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, where she completed the Konzertexamen, and at the Universität der Künste Berlin, where she earned her master’s degree.

Her artistic development has been shaped by mentors including Sir Roger Norrington, John Carewe, Colin Metters, Marin Alsop and Kazuki Yamada, as well as by her interest in theatre, literature and the work of Jerzy Grotowski.

For Dragan, every performance begins long before the first rehearsal – with the conviction that the deeper the understanding of a score, the greater the freedom an orchestra can find within it.

“Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony was played exactly as it should be.”

“Played with a listening quality that could be felt in the chest.”

“An approach that stood in direct contrast to today’s push-forward mentality.”
Sydsvenskan, Sweden

“A clear, vivid and deeply moving unity of sound.”

“An electrifying performance of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony.”

“A complete triumph — complex music revealed in all its beauty.”
(Xenakis) — El Mostrador, Chile

“A conductor of high intelligence, precision and structural clarity.”

“Dragan demands solidity and transparency.”
Berliner Morgenpost

“A well-detailed interpretation with excellent orchestral balance.”
Ritmo, Spain

“Dragan maintained taut control, suavely managed tension and phrased naturally.”
The Dallas Morning News

Orchestral recording of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre de Paris (featuring Céline Dion and Lady Gaga).

*Léna et l’orchestre enchanté* with the Orchestre National de France, 2022 (Gallimard Jeunesse).

Music for the podcast *Tintin et le Secret de la Licorne* with the Orchestre National de France, 2023 (France Culture).