Few things stir community pride quite like watching young talent carry the Parsi name onto the world stage. 12-year-old cellist, Liaan Daruwala and her 9-year-old sister, pianist Zoe Daruwala, have done exactly that, performing at some of Vienna’s most historic musical venues and earning international recognition at an age when most children are only beginning to discover their passions!

Adding an impressive international chapter to achievements already remarkable for their age, Liaan and Zoe represented India at the prestigious Golden Key Music Festival in Vienna, held from 7^th to 14^th August, 2026. Now in its 19^th year, the international classical music festival brings together talented young musicians selected through a global audition process. Liaan and Zoe earned the special distinction of being the only Indian participants selected through a global audition.

Both sisters performed their respective pieces at the Winners Gala Concert at the magnificent Ehrbar Saal, the historic 19th-century concert hall that has witnessed performances by legendary composers including Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler. For the young musicians, performing on a stage associated with such towering names in classical music made the occasion especially memorable.

Liaan received another coveted opportunity when she performed at Bösendorfer Hall at Mozarthaus Vienna, the historic building where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once lived and composed. Both sisters were awarded the Golden Key Music Festival Diploma for their performances alongside young musicians from across the world.

For Zoe, among the festival’s youngest performers, Vienna offered much more than stage experience. Meeting young musicians from different countries, attending concerts and workshops conducted by Vienna-based musicians, and visiting venues steeped in musical history made the journey an enriching introduction to one of the world’s great centres of classical music.

The Vienna honour adds to Liaan’s growing list of accomplishments. She recently won the ‘Laureate I Prix’ at the Alatone International Music Competition and has earned prizes at Band-It 2025, Stars of Rotary, Gulf Musician Idol and the European Classical Music Awards. In 2026, she was featured in The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy’s Budding Brigade Concert Series, which showcases promising young musicians from across India.

Among Liaan’s most memorable achievements is performing twice as a child soloist with NCPA’s Symphony Orchestra of India. She is also a cellist with the SOI Academy Orchestra and regularly experiences the discipline and excitement of orchestral performance.

Both sisters study at J B Petit High School for Girls and train in classical music at the Symphony Orchestra of India Music Academy, in Mumbai. Liaan, who has completed four years at the Academy, studies cello under Margarita Gapparova. Zoe has completed three years of piano training under Aida Bisengalieva and is also a member of the SOI Academy Choir.

Their musical journey has already taken them to several prominent stages across Mumbai and Pune, including the NCPA, G5A, Afghan Church and Prithvi Theatre.

Music is also very much a family affair. The sisters particularly enjoy performing together, with Zoe accompanying Liaan on the piano. Their mother, Ayesha Daruwala, herself a pianist, accompanies Liaan at some concerts. Of course, rehearsals occasionally feature the familiar arguments and disagreements of any pair of sisters, proving that even beautiful harmony can require some negotiation!

Away from music, Liaan enjoys drawing and Lego, while Zoe loves drawing and swimming. Balancing school with demanding musical training can be challenging, but both remain focused on learning, performing and keeping music a happy, meaningful part of their lives.

From Mumbai’s concert halls to the historic stages of Vienna, Liaan and Zoe Daruwala are proving that age is no barrier when talent is matched by discipline, dedication and joy. Their achievements bring immense pride to the Parsi community, whose tradition of excellence continues to find fresh expression in a new generation.

At just ages twelve and nine, these gifted Parsi sisters have already travelled an extraordinary musical distance and given the community much to celebrate! As their journey unfolds, every new stage they grace promises another proud note of an inspiring musical journey still unfolding.