Ukraine orchestra leader debuts at the Met with Russian opera

Wilson conducting a rehearsal for Shostakovich's 'Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk' at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on Sept 8. Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera/AP

It's been quite a year for conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, forming an orchestra from scratch, leading it on a 12-city tour, and then as soon as it disbanded going straight to the Metropolitan Opera to prepare for an opening-week debut.

Hers were the guiding hands that moulded the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, an ensemble founded as a musical statement of defiance against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.