Lagniappe Weekly
Mobile, AL
When the Mobile Symphony Orchestra takes the Saenger Theatre stage at month’s end, a pioneer will lead them. But that’s what trailblazers do, isn’t it?
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New York Review of Books
New York, NY
Now that she’s running a multimillion-dollar operation, Yankovskaya directs casting, chooses the repertoire, and oversees management of the orchestra; and, of course, she conducts most of the company’s productions.
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The Washington Post
Washington, D.C.
What makes an American opera? Companies across the country seem to be perpetually asking this question.
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Musical America
New York, NY
Friendly and fearsomely articulate about her personal goals and plans for COT, she clearly relishes opera’s nonstop interaction with colleagues, from singers and musicians to administrative personnel, from stage directors to stagehands.
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UN News Russia
New York, NY
“The work that we are performing today is very interesting. We come together with the stars of the world of classical Indian music – Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Ayaan and Amaan, who play the traditional instrument of India, the sarod. The piece is a concert for a trio of sarods, accompanied by an orchestra of classical music. Thus, the music of India and classical Western music merge into one. The music will be played not only by India, not only by Western European music - the music of the whole world merges here in the United Nations.”
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UN News
New York, NY
“You don’t need to speak a common language linguistically to perform together because music is universal. We try to express emotions – we try to touch our listeners through rhythm and through melody. And maybe we use a different scale or a different mode or a slightly different rhythmic pattern to do so, but ultimately it is all the same. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your context is…”
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Solti Foundation U.S.
Chicago, IL
”The young musicians we recognize are part of the fabric of our future musical landscape. From what we have seen and heard, it is going to be a glorious, immense vista, full of creativity, energy and passion,” said Ms. Van Horn.
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Schmopera
Toronto, Canada
It's far from being one of his best-known operas, yet Donizetti's Pia de' Tolomei, after Dante's Divine Comedy, has a memorable performance history. Pia now sees its American premiere. We spoke with its conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya about performing rare works, and her respect for the singers she conducts.
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21CM
Greencastle, IN
Within 40 minutes of the first rehearsal, I wrote on my score, “Never lose this woman’s number.”
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Russian Chicago Magazine
Chicago, IL
"The musical field gains a great deal when our artistic leaders are from diverse backgrounds. Art is a reflection of the world around us. If only a small slice of humanity participates in the art-making, we – as creators in an uber-collaborative process – cannot fully express our world, and, in this way, are significantly less effective in reaching our audiences."
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National Sawdust Log
New York, NY
Any art is an expression of the world around us, and our world has changed dramatically. One of the things I love most about opera is the way it brings together individuals of all backgrounds and fields in the creation of a single work. This particular work, an opera that describes the unsympathetic, cold reality of the immigration process, was relevant when it was written in 1949, and has unfortunately become even more relevant today. However, as I watched the diverse cast, the crew moving the set pieces, and the international production team, I felt optimistic.
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Chicago Tribune
Chicago, IL
Yankovskaya is bright, talented, experienced and bursting with ideas.
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Etazhi Literary Magazine
Moscow, Russia
“The problem is that in the world of classical music, everyone is afraid of risk. Money is always not enough, everyone relies on charitable donations, and therefore the administration prefers not to experiment and, following customary traditions, chooses male conductors. The hardest thing is to get a chance to show yourself.”
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WFMT
Chicago, IL
“I was sad, in a way, to find out when I got this position – and we didn’t know this until we did some research – that I was the only female music director of a major opera company in this country. But I think it’s starting to change, and there are so many amazing women doing work out there, conducting and directing, and doing behind the scenes work leading companies.”
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The Reklama
Chicago, IL
“If I could come up with an ideal position for myself, I would come up with just this one. Chicago Opera Theater in all respects is perfectly suited to what interests me – namely, modern, unusual and rare operas.”
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Opera America Magazine
New York, NY
Lidiya Yankovskaya, the newly named music director of Chicago Opera Theater, has built an imposing reputation in opera and new music. Her schedule includes symphonic and opera assignments across the country. Here she chats with OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca about her life and career, and the challenge of developing new audiences for opera.
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Chicago Tribune
Chicago, IL
The Russian-born conductor comes to Chicago bearing an extensive East Coast resume.
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Perform.Ink
Chicago, IL
“Lidiya represents the future of opera,” noted COT Board Vice President Susan Irion. “She is as skilled with operas of the past as she is with works of living composers, and often collaborates with other arts and community groups to create productions highly relevant to her audiences.
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WETA
Washington, D.C.
Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya chats with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix about how musical styles illustrate comic or macabre action in two modern mini-masterpieces.
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Boston Globe
Boston, MA
“It’s my way of giving back,” she said. “To me, as a musician, there’s only so much I can do to help this and other issues today, and I don’t have millions of dollars that I can donate to some organization to make an impact. But I can do something like this.”
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