[2] She studied music from the age of five, playing piano and singing in the Saint Petersburg Children’s Choir of Radio and Television.
She attended performances with her mother regularly, citing a production of Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges at the Mariinsky Theater as one of her first experiences with opera.
[4] Yankovskaya's mother prioritized her musical development, enrolling her daughter at Guilderland High School in Albany, NY.
Yankovskaya also joined the selective private teaching studio of piano duo Vladimir Pleshakov and Elena Winther, and began studying the violin.
Also taking on the role of artistic director in 2014, she sought to present collaborative, interdisciplinary works ranging from opera and ballet to puppetry, aerial dance, and robotic instruments.
[22][23] Yankovskaya was appointed the music director of Chicago Opera Theater in June 2017 and began regular conducting duties with the 2018-19 season.