
VISIONARY COLLABORATOR
Lidiya Yankovskaya is a conductor with powerful range – from Verdi and Wagner to Price and Prokofiev – and an unshakeable sense of classical music as a living, responsive art form. Her bold, collaborative leadership has shaped the development of dozens of world premieres – including over 20 new operas – and brought fresh urgency to performances with major orchestras and opera companies across the globe, including the London, LA, and New York Philharmonics, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Norwegian National Opera, and Opera Australia. In addition to her international work, she made a transformative local impact as Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, earning consistent recognition from the Chicago Tribune, which credited her with “raising the profile of COT immensely, her interpretations bracing and repertoire head-spinningly varied” and named her Chicagoan of the Year.
“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 attracting the kind of high-profile talent that would have been unheard of for the company a few short seasons ago.”

LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS
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CARMEN
Opera Australia
Jul 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 24, 26m, 30; Aug 2, 4
2025
Sydney Opera House
Sydney • Australia