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

  • Sat
    19
    Jun
    2021
    Sun
    27
    Jun
    2021

    Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra on Tour

    Hamburg, Berlin, Bochum
    Elisabeth Leonskaja piano, Steven Sloane direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • 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

  • Thu
    19
    Jan
    2023

    Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie

    Orchestre National de France

    Cédric Tiberghien piano; Cynthia Millar ondes Martenot; Cristian Măcelaru direction; Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Thu
    26
    Jan
    2023

    Schumann 1. and 3. Symphony

    Orchestre National de France

    Daniele Gatti direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Wed
    01
    Feb
    2023

    Schumann 2. and 4. Symphony

    Orchestre National de France

    Daniele Gatti direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Sat
    11
    Feb
    2023

    Festival Présences

    Orchestre National de France

    FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Wed
    22
    Feb
    2023

    Mendelssohn - 3. Symphony

    Hamburger Symphoniker, Hamburg

  • Thu
    23
    Mar
    2023

    Bartok- Le Prince de bois; Brahms - 1. Piano Concerto

    Orchestre National de France

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

  • Thu
    20
    Apr
    2023

    Haydn, La Création

    Orchestre National de France

    Matthias Goerne bariton, Andrés Orozco-Estrada direction,
    Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Sun
    11
    Jun
    2023

    Viva l'Orchestra!

    Orchestre des Grands Amateurs de Radio France

    Orchestre National de France

    BARBARA DRAGAN direction

  • Thu
    15
    Jun
    2023

    Schubert - Symphony No. 5, Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme" , Haydn - Symphony No. 103 "Roulement de timbale"

    Orchestre National de France

    Maria-João Pires piano, Trevor Pinnock direction, Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Mon
    28
    Aug
    2023

    Napoleon movie soundtrack recording

    Orchestre National de France
  • Sat
    02
    Sep
    2023

    Classique au vert

    16:00Orchestre de Chambre de Paris; Paris, Parc Floral

    https://www.orchestredechambredeparis.com/concert/classique-au-vert-2023/

  • Mon
    18
    Sep
    2023

    Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors

    https://festival-besancon.com/en/58-competition-2023/

  • Sun
    08
    Oct
    2023

    Hamburger Symphoniker

    19:00

    Sibelius - Konzert für Violine und Orchester d-Moll op. 47

    Schostakowitsch - Sinfonie Nr. 8 c-Moll op. 65

    Conductor Steven Sloane

    Assistant conductor Barbara Dragan

    Violine Sayaka Shoji

    https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/de/programm/symphoniker-hamburg-sayaka-shoji-steven-sloane/19712

  • Tue
    14
    Nov
    2023

    Ein Deutsches Requiem, Orchestre National de France, Paris

    https://www.maisondelaradioetdelamusique.fr/evenement/concert-symphonique/brahms-un-requiem-allemand-vilde-frang-cristian-macelaru

    BERG - Concerto à la mémoire d’un ange (VILDE FRANG Violin)
    BRAHMS - Un Requiem allemand
    CRISTIAN MĂCELARU direction

    BARBARA DRAGAN assistant conductor

  • Sat
    13
    Jan
    2024

    LÉNA ET L’ORCHESTRE ENCHANTÉ, Orchestre National de France, Paris

    https://www.maisondelaradioetdelamusique.fr/evenement/concert-jeune-public/lena-et-lorchestre-enchante-julie-gayet

    BARBARA DRAGAN conductor

    MATTHIEU LAMBOLEY original music

    ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE FRANCE

  • Thu
    25
    Jan
    2024

    Carmina Burana, Orchestre National de France, Paris

    Kazuki Yamada conductor
    Barbara Dragan cover conductor

    Orchestre National de France

     

  • Fri
    26
    Jan
    2024
    Sun
    28
    Jan
    2024

    Folle Journée with Sinfonia Varsovia

    France
    Mendelssohn : Concerto pour violon et orchestre n°2 en mi mineur opus 64
    Mendelssohn : Le Songe d’une nuit d’été opus 61, extraits
    Aylen PRITCHIN, violon
    Sinfonia Varsovia
  • Thu
    01
    Feb
    2024

    Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax

    Ljubica Marić: Music for Orchestra
    W.A.Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 1 in G
    W.A.Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, “Jupiter”
    Barbara Dragan, conductor
    Demarre McGill, flute
    Symphony Nova Scotia
  • Fri
    16
    Feb
    2024
    Sat
    17
    Feb
    2024

    Tokyo, Nagoya, Japan

    concerts shared with Kazuki Yamada

    details tba

  • Thu
    07
    Mar
    2024
    Sat
    09
    Mar
    2024

    Olympic Games recordings

    Paris

    recording sessions for Olympic Games with Orchestre National de France

  • Thu
    21
    Mar
    2024

    JUBILÉ DU NATIONAL 1

    Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris

    HECTOR BERLIOZ La Damnation de Faust

    ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE FRANCE
    Cristian Macelaru direction

    Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Tue
    26
    Mar
    2024

    JUBILÉ DU NATIONAL 2

    Philharmonie de Paris

    PAUL DUKAS  L’Apprenti sorcier
    HENRI DUTILLEUX  Tout un monde lointain, concerto pour violoncelle
    CLAUDE DEBUSSY Images
    MAURICE RAVEL Boléro

    Gautier Capucon violoncelle

    ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE FRANCE
    Cristian Macelaru direction

    Barbara Dragan cover conductor

  • Fri
    12
    Apr
    2024
    Fri
    03
    May
    2024

    Orchestre de Paris

    recording sessions with Orchestre de Paris  for the Opening Ceremony of Olympic Games Paris 2024

  • Thu
    18
    Apr
    2024

    Opera de Toulon, France

    Beethoven - 5. Piano Concerto Emperor
    Beethoven - 3. Symphony Eroica
    Barbara Dragan - conductor
    Leonardo Pierdomenico - piano
    Orchestre de l’Opéra de Toulon
  • Thu
    25
    Apr
    2024

    Debussy La Mer

    Paris

    Orchestre National de France

    Seong-Jin Cho - piano

    Cristian Măcelaru - conductor

    Barbara Dragan - assistant conductor

  • Sun
    26
    May
    2024

    Viva l’Orchestra !

    Maison de la Radio et de la Musique - Auditorium, Paris

    ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE FRANCE
    BARBARA DRAGAN     direction

  • Sun
    14
    Jul
    2024

    Concert de Paris - assistant conductor

    Champ de Mars (tour Eiffel)
    Chœur de Radio France
    Maîtrise de Radio France
    Orchestre National de France
  • Tue
    16
    Jul
    2024
    Fri
    19
    Jul
    2024

    Orchestre National de France

    recording sessions  for the Opening Ceremony of Paralympic Games Paris 2024

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