Durban — New KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra concert master Evgeny Zhadanov wasn’t going anywhere without his cat Kuzya, not even to Durban to take up his new position.
Before he signed on, he made sure four-year-old Kuzya would be able to accompany him to Durban.
Kuzya and his brothers were found abandoned outside Moscow as tiny kittens. For Zhadanov, the bond was instant, and the cat has been part of the Zhadanov family ever since – travelling from Russia to Egypt (where Zhadanov was based for a while), and now to South Africa.
Kuzya has been Zhadanov’s sole companion while waiting for the arrival of his wife Ekaterina, a violinist like him, and son Sergei who will join him here soon after Easter.
Kuzya (which is a traditional old Russian folk name) loves sour cream and seems to be adapting to the Durban heat and settling in to his new home very quickly.
Zhadanov will perform with the newly established string quartet, Quartetto Aurora, comprising members of the KZN Philharmonic, in their debut concert for Friends of Music, on Sunday, April 7 at 2.30pm at the Durban Jewish Centre honouring the music of Joseph Haydn.
SIMPLY ADORABLE
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Independent on Saturday