Dobrochna and Lisa first met in 2013 as doctoral students at the University of Toronto. After doing a Masters degree at Towson University in Baltimore, Dobrochna spent several years in Mexico, playing with the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico. While there, she became a strong advocate for Mexican music and subsequently wrote her doctoral thesis on Mexican music for solo cello. Lisa moved to Toronto in 2008 for graduate studies after completing her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Victoria. Her Masters and Doctoral degrees were in performance and pedagogy, where she realized her passion for teaching. Her dissertation was based on a qualitative study involving music and older adults.

The Zuhara Duo collaboration started while preparing for a CD release concert at the Polish Consulate in Toronto. That night, they performed works by Mexican and Polish composers that included Elias, Lutosławski, Wiłkomirski, and Andrzej Zubek, a well-known Polish jazz pianist and composer who happens to be Dobrochna’s father. Since then, Dobrochna and Lisa discovered that they share an interest in exploring music from their own backgrounds.

Dobrochna was born and raised in Poland before moving to North America at the age of 19. Though raised in Canada, Lisa was born in Japan and has always had a deep interest in Japanese culture and language, resulting in a strong sense of identity based on her ancestral roots.

The Zuhara Duo often play together for Concerts in Care and private salons, and they recently performed as part of the St. Andrew’s Concert Series where they included Astor Piazolla’s Le Grand Tango and two Japanese folk pieces by Michio Mamiya. Since the duo’s inception, they have developed a rich variety of repertoire for cello and piano, one that includes classic works by Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Chopin, but also lesser-known works, not only from their own cultural backgrounds, but from their home – Canada - and other cultures like Mexico and Argentina whose music is a source of fascination for both artists. Furthermore, as two female musicians, the Zuhara Duo have a consistent desire to explore, perform, and champion women composers like Kelly-Ann Murphy, Mel Bonis, Cécile Chaminade and Clara Schumann, whose extraordinary works they take great pleasure and pride in presenting to audiences.