News Highlights
Fox32 Chicago
Chicago, IL
Renowned conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya joins Fox32 ahead of her final hometown concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, reflecting on her journey, upcoming global move to London, and the future of classical music.
Financial Times
London, UK
The music of different cultures has always been part of her life. Drawing these strands together leads to Yankovskaya’s commitment to new music.
Classical Music Magazine
London, UK
With funding for new work an ever-shrinking resource, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya tailors her approach to the budget available and – along with her peers – makes the case for experimentation in opera.
Opera Now
London, UK
Few musicians can claim to have conducted more than 40 world premieres by the age of 38. Step forward Lidiya Yankovskaya, the outgoing music director of Chicago Opera Theater and named Chicagoan of the Year for 2020. It seems startling to relinquish such a post, but Yankovskaya feels ready for the challenges ahead.
The Sunday Times
London, UK
English National Opera needed a new conductor to jump into a production of a tricky and disturbing 20th-century masterpiece. Luckily there was an obvious candidate: why not get the conductor who had led another challenging 20th-century masterpiece at ENO — and had a triumph? So the Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, the conductor of last year’s acclaimed ENO production of Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, stepped in.
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, IL
Yankovskaya has raised the profile of COT immensely, her interpretations bracing and repertoire head-spinningly varied: She led 25 new-to-Chicago works, 11 of which were world premieres. She’s also fashioned COT as a primo stop for artists growing their careers by formalizing COT’s Young Artist Program and founding its Vanguard Initiative, which pairs first-time opera composers with accomplished librettists to trial-run a new work.
All Recent News
KBACH
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Symphony hosts conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in a program featuring music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Barber, and Sandoval. Listen to the conversation at KBACH.
BBC Music Magazine
London, UK
Yankovskaya took to the podium just three days after giving birth to her second child. This event joined a long list of standout moments from the career of this trailblazing conductor and cultural advocate who has shaped the development of dozens of world premieres, commissioning no fewer than 11 operas during her seven-season tenure at the Chicago Opera Theatre.
The Violin Channel
New York, NY
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, who was previously Music Director at the Chicago Opera Theater and who regularly conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is among a number of prominent musicians who are opting to leave the USA, according to a report by WBEZ Chicago.
WBEZ
Chicago, IL
Yankovskaya is among a growing list of classical musicians moving overseas, where she says cultural institutions are supported by a robust public funding apparatus — a starker contrast than ever to the U.S., where the Trump administration is moving to curtail federal investments in the arts.
Fox32 Chicago
Chicago, IL
Renowned conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya joins Fox32 ahead of her final hometown concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, reflecting on her journey, upcoming global move to London, and the future of classical music.
Washington Post
Washington D.C.
“Art is no mere commodity, like a rejected product sold by an exploitative corporation or an aggressor in a war. Art has the capacity to change minds, shift cultures, challenge assumptions. Choosing not to perform deprives artists and art of power, and it aids regimes that fear being culturally challenged.”
CBS6 News
Albany, NY
"My favorite thing about conducting is probably the ability to connect with the audience. There are so few places in our world today where we all get to come together and communally experience something."
CBS6 Morning News
Albany, NY
Yankovskaya stopped by the CBS6 studio and talked to morning anchor Julia Dunn about her journey to the U.S. and her love for music.
Northeast Public Radio WAMC
Albany, NY
“My high school orchestra conductor saw something in me. Jeff not only put me on the podium and gave me this opportunity but he gave me time with the orchestra, and he created this atmosphere where the other students and I could collaborate and work together as one. As soon as I got on that podium, it just felt right.”
Albany Times-Union
Albany, NY
“Storytelling is how we evolve as humans. It is how we make change and enact change. It is how we preserve tradition as well, and how we deal with emotional crises, and also how we absorb the most joyful times in our lives.”
The Daily Gazette
Albany, NY
“I loved bringing people together and making things happen and drawing out the best in them,” Yankovskaya said. “That appealed to me: be a maker, a doer. To thrill and move an audience. It's so powerful. And it's different because it's collaborative. As a pianist, it's so lonely. But as a conductor it's more fun with other people and more challenging.”
Classical WMHT
Albany, NY
World-renowned conductor and Guilderland High School graduate Lidiya Yankovskaya returns to the Capital Region to guest conduct the Albany Symphony—the orchestra whose concerts she regularly attended while growing up.
Financial Times
London, UK
The music of different cultures has always been part of her life. Drawing these strands together leads to Yankovskaya’s commitment to new music.
Nashville Scene
Nashville, TN
In the male-dominated world of classical music, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya often garners attention as the only woman in the room. It’s not a distinction she ever sought out, or even gave much thought to. Her focus has always been on the music.
Music City Review
Nashville, TN
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya recently met with MCR journalist Daniel Krenz to talk about concert halls, music, and her approaching program with the Nashville Symphony.
Classical Music Magazine
London, UK
With funding for new work an ever-shrinking resource, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya tailors her approach to the budget available and – along with her peers – makes the case for experimentation in opera.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Music Show
Sydney, Australia
Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya comes to Opera Australia to conduct Puccini’s Il trittico, a rare triptych of operas which span tragedy, farce, and religious fervour. Lidiya is at home with the operatic canon but she’s also conducted a swathe of new opera world premieres. She joins Andy to talk about finding the same passion for the music through new and old works.
Opera Now
London, UK
Few musicians can claim to have conducted more than 40 world premieres by the age of 38. Step forward Lidiya Yankovskaya, the outgoing music director of Chicago Opera Theater and named Chicagoan of the Year for 2020. It seems startling to relinquish such a post, but Yankovskaya feels ready for the challenges ahead.
The Sunday Times
London, UK
English National Opera needed a new conductor to jump into a production of a tricky and disturbing 20th-century masterpiece. Luckily there was an obvious candidate: why not get the conductor who had led another challenging 20th-century masterpiece at ENO — and had a triumph? So the Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, the conductor of last year’s acclaimed ENO production of Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, stepped in.
BBC Music Magazine
London, UK
The number of female conductors on the world’s orchestral podiums might be rising, but there is still some distance to cover, writes Jessica Duchen. Fast-rising star Lidiya Yankovskaya doesn’t mince her words about the challenges she has faced. “There’s a misconception that we’ve changed things more than we have. That’s because we started in a place that was so bad.”
Musical America
Chicago, IL
As music director of the Chicago Opera Theater for the past seven years, Lidiya Yankovskaya has brought well-earned attention to the company with her commitment to presenting compelling interpretations of a varied repertoire. Now she has said she will step down at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, with her final production as The Nose, Shostakovich's absurdist political satire.
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, IL
Yankovskaya has raised the profile of COT immensely, her interpretations bracing and repertoire head-spinningly varied: She led 25 new-to-Chicago works, 11 of which were world premieres. She’s also fashioned COT as a primo stop for artists growing their careers by formalizing COT’s Young Artist Program and founding its Vanguard Initiative, which pairs first-time opera composers with accomplished librettists to trial-run a new work.
The Reklama
Chicago, IL
On December 8 and 10, the Chicago premiere of the opera “The Nose” by D. Shostakovich will take place at the Chicago Opera Theater. The conductor is the musical director of the theater Lydia Yankovskaya. About the future performance, reasons for leaving COT and immediate plans - in an exclusive interview with the conductor.
The Reklama
Chicago, IL
The central event of the fiftieth anniversary season of the Chicago Opera Theater is the Chicago premiere of D. Shostakovich’s opera “The Nose”. The conductor is the musical director of the theater Lydia Yankovskaya.
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco, CA
Symphony San Jose opens its season by exploring this theme with a program of music from various stories and legends. Under the baton of the dynamic Chicago conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, the orchestra casts a spotlight on music with a mythic undercurrent.
Bay Area News Group
San Jose, CA
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya believes in exploring music from a full spectrum — beloved classics of the repertoire, as well as ink-still-wet new works. With a strong commitment to innovation, Yankovskaya has become one of classical music’s essential artists.
Pasatiempo
Santa Fe, NM
“The wonderful thing about Rusalka, like many great operas, is that the drama and the music are so woven together. So for me, the most important thing is finding that overall arc of the storytelling, and finding how each individual moment fits into the arc.”
KHFM
Santa Fe, NM
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya makes her Santa Fe Opera debut this season with Dvorak’s Rusalka. KHFM Executive Director Brent Stevens does an in-depth preview of the piece and Lidiya’s role as music director.
BBC Music Magazine
London, UK
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya tells us why she thinks Anton Rubinstein deserves to be a more celebrated figure.
Michigan Avenue Magazine
Chicago, IL
Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya shares her favorite local spots in Chicago with Michigan Avenue Magazine writer J.P. Anderson.