Tianyi Lu has been announced as Welsh National Opera’s inaugural Female Conductor in Residence. The Shanghai-born, New Zealand-raised conductor is best known to Australian audiences for her work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, where she is Assistant Conductor. She begins working with the opera company in Wales, where she completed a Masters degree in conducting, this month, as WNO’s new production of Carmen goes into rehearsals.

Tianyi LuTianyi Lu. Photo © Antony Potts

“I am thrilled to be back in Cardiff, my second home, to work with the many creative and courageous individuals that make up the vibrant organisation that is WNO,” Lu said. “The Company has inspired me for many years and I will relish the opportunity to dive into the diverse range of projects during my post over the next 18 months.”

WNO’s new Female Conductor in Residence scheme was established following the company’s Where are all the Women? symposium in 2018, and it aims to equip aspiring female conductors with the necessary training and experience to pursue conducting careers. Lu, who has previously been a participant in Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors and was a was a Dudamel...