Symphony Magazine
New York, NY
Lidiya Yankovskaya is among an increasing number of conductors forming their own orchestras while balancing guest-conducting and staff positions at other orchestras
Read More
Times Union
Albany, NY
COVID-19, of course, has forced cancellations of virtually all performing arts and also cast a gloom, at least one would think, over those making their livelihood from things like opera or symphonic music. But Yankovskaya sees new possibilities arising from the economic instability brought about by the pandemic, especially when combined with society’s increasing demand for racial equality in all aspects of American life…
Read More
Financial Times
London, UK
Think back 20 or 30 years. Trying to spot a female conductor in one of the world’s leading concert halls would have had almost zero chance of success. How the world has changed, with a new generation of young women conductors now rising to positions of influence…
Read More
Symphony Magazine
New York, NY
Over the next ten years, Yankovskaya believes that new work will take precedence over the warhorses. It’s not about rejecting the standard repertory, she explains, but about embracing the new…
Read More
WQXR
New York, NY
It’s hard to keep track of the force of nature that is Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya…
Read More
Opera News
New York, NY
Yankovskaya delivers performances that hold a striking blend of strength and sensitivity…
Read More
Index on Censorship
London, UK
Can music be a form of resistance? We spoke to two artists who are challenging the limits of musical free expression…
Read More
CS Modern Luxury Magazine
Chicago, IL
Lidiya Yankovskaya is on a mission to create an operagoing culture in the United States, on par with that of Europe and her native Russia.
Read More
Chicago Classical Review
Chicago, IL
With conducting, however, Yankovskaya found a perfect fit for her talents and temperament. The often-solitary career of a solo violinist or pianist didn’t appeal to her, and she craved the collaboration of conducting an orchestra or, especially, directing an opera company.
Read More
Chicago Magazine
Chicago, IL
Opera experimentalism has flourished in the past decade among a gaggle of startup companies around the city. Yankovskaya is taking that energy and injecting it into a major company. Naysayers accuse opera of resuscitating a permanent past. Here is where you can see the present.
Read More
BBC World
London, UK
Lidiya joins BBC World’s Newsday to discuss her Refugee Orchestra Project and the cultural enrichment immigrants and refugees bring to society.
Read More
NewMusicBox
New York, NY
“Amid the current proliferation of nativism across the industrialized world, musicians are uniquely positioned to convey the following simple message that we should all, as artists, understand: no matter who you are, where you are from, how much money you have, or what language you speak, you have inherent worth.”
Read More
The American Magazine
London, UK
“The richness, variety and depth of music that has come out of immigrant and refugee communities is immense. I hope our audiences see that refugees have come from many places throughout our history, and any of us could find ourselves in the position of desperately needing help.”
Read More
BBC Radio 3
London, UK
Lidiya Yankovskaya has a passion for the new and for the neglected. She’s here for a Refugee Orchestra concert, she’s the Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, and a whole host of other things that make me feel deeply inadequate.
Read More
NewMusicBox
New York, NY
“Today, I often still find myself the sole female voice in a room, and I see an even bigger lack of other types of diversity within my profession. How can we all work to bring a plurality of viewpoints to every area of our art form?”
Read More
CNN
New York, NY
“All of us who are on that stage come to the experience with our own feelings and our emotions about what fleeing and seeking for home means to us.” The Refugee Orchestra Project brings together musicians from all over the world and provides a space for refugees and immigrants to share their experiences through music.
Read More
NewMusicBox
New York, NY
“Opera’s strength has been in its ability to unite the arts to tell powerful, moving stories. In order to cultivate a diverse generation of talent, we must find a way to overcome the existing limitations of accessibility to sufficient training.”
Read More
NewMusicBox
New York, NY
“In bypassing institutional gatekeepers, these conductors have brought relevance, vitality, and an expanding number of previously unrepresented voices into the field. Indeed, the dynamic new ‘catalyst-conductor’ could help bring the revitalization that the classical music industry so desperately seeks.”
Read More
Newcity Magazine
Chicago, IL
Her musical presence has revitalized a company that had become a shadow of itself. The Chicago premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick in April was a major event, in no small part because of Yankovskaya’s elucidation of the score… The Chicago premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta was no less revelatory.
Read More