Brahms, Schumann, Wagner
Elgin Symphony Orchestra
Elgin, IL
“In Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Yankovskaya seemed in her element, bringing theatrical fervor to the storm-tossed main theme, poise to Senta’s hymn in the winds and jaunty swagger to the antic sailors’ tune…”
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Becoming Santa Claus
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“The orchestra is in many ways the star…led with attention to nuance, color and atmosphere by Lidiya Yankovskaya…”
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Carmen
Houston Grand Opera
Houston, TX
“Yankovskaya helped pull the focus back toward Bizet. The orchestra brought out the zest and slinkiness of the dances, the smoothness of the lyrical flights, and the flashiness of the choral scenes…”
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Carmen
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“If you were lucky enough to be in the audience at the Harris Theater for this, you won’t forget it…”
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Shostakovich & Copland
Rhode Island Philharmonic
Providence, RI
“Was it the guest conductor's palpable energy? Was it the audience's obvious excitement about taking in a rare in-person performance? Whatever it was, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra's chamber ensemble sure had a spring in its step…”
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Taking Up Serpents
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“This immaculate performance was done in a single unbroken take with multiple cameras. Music director Lidiya Yankovskaya conducted with characteristic skill—sure pacing and keen dramatic focus…”
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Rimsky Rebooted
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“A testament to the company’s refusal to surrender to today’s difficult circumstances. Russian music dominated the program…Yankovskaya produced dark tones and unyielding martial rhythms at the piano.”
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The Transformation of Jane Doe
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“Yankovskaya drew a wide range of color from a chamber ensemble and kept the music pressing ever forward, surely the best way to present an opera when the score alone must carry the story…”
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Voices of Refuge
Chicago Opera Theater +
Refugee Orchestra Project
Chicago, IL
“Yankovskaya gathered a solid roster of instrumentalists — together they made up a taut ensemble and performed a wide variety of music with flair and intensity. The works together created an intriguing and worthwhile hour of music for listeners...”
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Freedom Ride
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“The musicians of the Chicago Sinfonietta are led Lidiya Yankovskaya – Chicago Opera Theater’s ever-adventurous and impassioned music director, who helped nurture this project. Together they captured to perfection every musical style in this formidable new addition to the operatic repertoire.”
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Ellen West
Prototype Festival
New York, NY
“Lidiya Yankovskaya brilliantly led the orchestral accompaniment, finding meaning in every gesture.”
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Everest / Aleko
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“Yankovkaya continues to impress with every performance…She balanced the large orchestra, cast, chorus and wind effects with great clarity and dramatic point, keeping this complex and challenging score on track with clear direction and firm momentum.”
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Shining Brow
Arizona Opera
Phoenix, AZ
“Yankovskaya accentuated shattering brass and quivering strings that foreshadowed what was going on behind the curtain. She led the orchestra with energy and technical precision…”
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The Barber of Seville
Wolf Trap Opera
Vienna, VA
“Yankovskaya gave each singer leeway to punctuate and exaggerate the phrases just so, enhancing Rossini’s score with a deft touch.”
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Ellen West
Opera Saratoga
Saratoga Springs, NY
“The musicians, who could be seen through the window in the set, were superb; Lidiya Yankovskaya was the excellent conductor.”
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Moby-Dick
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“Moby-Dick gave Lidiya Yankovskaya a juicy opportunity to really strut her stuff for Chicago’s audience, and she delivered an electrifying reading.”
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Taking Up Serpents
Washington National Opera
Washington, D.C.
“Yankovskaya made a strong WNO debut at the podium, skillfully bringing together the disparate sounds in the pit…”
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Iolanta
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago, IL
“A flexible and richly idiomatic account of this score…balancing deftly to bring out Tchaikovsky’s woodwind accents, and building lyric climaxes to resplendent payoffs…”
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Pia de' Tolomei
Spoleto Festival USA
Charleston, SC
“Yankovskaya conducted with the brio and tenderness this opera demands…”
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Mozart and Salieri / Kashchej the Immortal
Island City Opera
Alameda, CA
“Yankovskaya conducted with a sinuous but strong-boned rhythmic mastery… Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozartean pastiche is deftly pulled off, and Yankovskaya balanced her forces with confident aplomb.”
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