Zaidel-Rudolph also specialised in piano performance; her teachers included Goldie Zaidel, Philip Levy and Adolph Hallis in South Africa, and John Lill in London.

Zaidel-Rudolph returned to South Africa and became the first woman in the country to obtain a Doctorate in Composition, in 1979 at the University of Pretoria under Stefans Grové.

In 1995, she arranged a composite version of South Africa's erstwhile and new national anthems at the request of President Nelson Mandela.

In 2013, she wrote the Jewish-themed "Hebrotica", a work for marimba solo, dedicated to and premiered by klezmer virtuoso Alex Jacobowitz in Johannesburg.

"Her style reflects both the inspiration of religious mysticism and the richness of a transcultural approach which merges African and Western musical elements.