Yankovskaya Writes Washington Post Op-Ed • May 2025
Lidiya Yankovskaya / Photo by Karli Cadel
Washington, D.C.
Ahead of her return to Washington National Opera to lead Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya advocated for the arts at the Kennedy Center in a Washington Post Op-Ed.
“Art is no mere commodity, like a rejected product sold by an exploitative corporation or an aggressor in a war,” wrote Yankovskaya. “Art has the capacity to change minds, shift cultures, challenge assumptions. Choosing not to perform deprives artists and art of power, and it aids regimes that fear being culturally challenged.”
Washington Post: Why I’m still performing at the Kennedy Center
Critical Acclaim
Yankovskaya leads The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs / Photo by Scott Suchman
“At the podium, Yankovskaya kept steady control over the score’s mixture of acoustic and synthesized sound. The small chorus, just sixteen singers, stayed in lockstep with her.”
Washington Classical Review
“The orchestra was directed by a precise Yankovskaya, in full control of the coordination between the pit and the stage.”
OperaClick
“Yankovskaya led a performance with no lack of dramatic drive… She dealt with the orchestra, plus the multitude of percussion and electronic instruments, with discipline.”
Opera Magazine
“The production itself soars on the strength of the Washington National Opera Orchestra, whose performance of Mason’s innovative score was crisply guest conducted by Yankovskaya.”
Broadway World