Sounding Point Podcast Ep. 7: Lidiya Yankovskaya

Lidiya Yankovskaya is the music director of Chicago Opera Theatre, and the founder/artistic director of the Refugee Orchestra Project. Under her leadership, Chicago Opera theatre has established the Vanguard Initiative, an innovative residency program designed to support emerging opera composers. Lidiya is one of only two women to hold a music directorship at a major American opera company. It was extremely fun catching up with Lidiya over topics including opera emergencies, Lidiya's quarantine routine, and artists' role in influencing the culture. Lidiya's comments on how she finds new composers, and her journey as a conductor are particularly valuable insights for aspiring composers and and conductors. We also shared memories of working with the late, great Lorin Maazel. Many thanks to Lidiya for making time for this conversation!