Guest Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya Brings Invigorating Perspective

Nashville Scene

Nashville, TN

In the male-dominated world of classical music, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya often garners attention as the only woman in the room. It’s not a distinction she ever sought out, or even gave much thought to. Her focus has always been on the music.

“When I started out, I was the first and only woman in everything I did,” says Yankovskaya, who recently stepped down as music director of Chicago Opera Theater after seven successful seasons. “I didn’t think about it much, which was probably for the best. Because once I got on the podium, all that mattered was that I knew the score — that I knew what I wanted musically. When I arrived at COT, I was actually the first female music director of any major opera company in the U.S. Can you imagine? That is changing, but it’s very slow.”