Oksana Lyniv, international conductor, founder and art director of LvivMozArt, will be the first conductress in the history of the world’s most prestigious opera festival, the Bayreuth Festival, with a new production of «Flying Dutchman» for the festival opening in 2021.
In its 145 years of existence, 92 men, starting with Wagner himself, have stood behind the stand of the world’s most prestigious opera festival, but no conductress has yet had such an honour.
The festival’s director and great-granddaughter of the composer, Katarina Wagner, kept the conductor’s name a secret until recently, as the main opera intrigue of the year, which is a revolutionary precedent for breaking gender stereotypes and a sign of great recognition.
«Richard Wagner wrote important and defining roles for women in his operas and portrayed them as extremely emancipated. That’s why, I think, he would be proud that almost 140 years after his death, a woman will turn into reality his wonderful music for the first time,» – said Oksana Lyniv in a comment to DW.
