The Jewish conductor who fled neo-Nazi mobs rescues the ENO
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.
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Closing the gap
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.”
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'The Nose' as COT Music Director's Last Hurrah
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.
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With ‘The Nose,’ transformative music director Lidiya Yankovskaya departs COT
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.
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"These days I live by my nose"
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.
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"The Nose" by Shostakovich at COT
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.
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Symphony San Jose opens with a dive into a storybook world
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.
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Symphony San Jose concert heads for fanciful terrain
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.
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A Freudian Fairy Tale
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.”
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Lidiya Yankovskaya and Brent Stevens
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.
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The Full Score
BBC Music Magazine
London, UK
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya tells us why she thinks Anton Rubinstein deserves to be a more celebrated figure.
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Chicago Opera Theater Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya's Favorite Local Spots
Michigan Avenue Magazine
Chicago, IL
Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya shares her favorite local spots in Chicago with Michigan Avenue Magazine writer J.P. Anderson.
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Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya leads the Richmond Symphony season finale
NPR
Richmond, VA
“Mike Goldberg talks with Lidiya on ‘An Hour with the Richmond Symphony,’ discussing her musical background, the impact of Russian and American cultures on her career, and the repertoire for this weekend's program featuring Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, as well as works by American composers John Adams, Florence Price and James Lee III.”
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‘Really great art takes life as it is and portrays it as it is’: Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya on the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Opera Now
London, UK
“‘I can’t think of many companies that would do this work. To stage the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs is a big risk and a really out of the box idea. Most organisations would not have the confidence, even if they believed in it.’ The 37-year-old conductor debuts tonight at the English National Opera. She reflects on grief, balancing art with emotion and the importance of companies like the ENO.’”
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Dynamic conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya is leading from the front
The Jewish Chronicle
London, UK
“My job is to bring people together to inspire them and help guide a unified interpretation. I think it would be healthy if all leadership were approached more like that, and less from a standpoint of beating people into submission, forcing something, or proving something. Great music-making isn’t about that and never can be.”
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How the World of Classical Music Has Responded to TÁR
RogerEbert
Chicago, IL
“I am glad that the film has sparked so much conversation about conducting,” said Yankovsaya, a rising star in classical music [and] music director of Chicago Opera Theater. “While it’s unfortunate that Tár is a negative character, I am heartened to know that now, when people think ‘conductor,’ the image in their minds might be of a woman.”
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Second Homes: Lidiya Yankovskaya speaks up for 'second' companies
Opera Magazine
London, UK
“It's a beautiful opportunity,” says Lidiya Yankovskaya. “A month of rehearsal, where the director, the singer and I get to think every day about every nuance of that emotional dramatic arc over the course of the piece. That is a luxury.” Speaking over Zoom during a rare day off between concerts in Detroit and Knoxville, the Russian-American conductor is palpably excited about her upcoming appearances at English National Opera.
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Lidiya Yankovskaya: music as a reflection of the world
WUOT
Knoxville, TN
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya was in Knoxville recently to conduct Oliver Herbert in the Dvořák cello concerto, also the Rosenkavalier suite and a new work by Missy Mazzoli. Charlotte Wilson catches up with her to discuss conducting and the future of music.
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After Tár: women conductors to watch in London
Culture Whisper
London, UK
Born in St. Petersburg, Lidiya Yankovskaya grew up in the United States, where she is a big draw, appearing with a number of prestigious orchestras. At ENO she conducts Henryk Górecki's moving Symphony of Sorrowful Songs in a staged performance.
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Players 2023: Who Really Performs for Chicago Right Now in Opera
Newcity Stage
Chicago, IL
Because her work is consistently excellent, her tenure has revitalized the company. Yankovskaya is in high demand everywhere… Her mastery of symphonic repertoire is as formidable as her operatic conducting.
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