was born in Bolton, UK. The British-Ukrainian violist studied with Prof. Hariolf Schlichtig at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and with Prof. Veit Hertenstein at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

A laureate of many international competitions, she experienced early success at the Kenneth Page National Viola Competition, winning 2nd prize, despite being just 15 and the youngest competitor. Further competition achievements followed, including the Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria and the Beethoven Hradec-International Music Competition, Czech Republic, where she won 1st prize. 

As a chamber musician, she has enjoyed participating in important festivals such as the West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Rencontres Musicales d’Évian and Verbier Festival, performing with artists such as Lawrence Power, Marc Bouchkov, Antonio Meneses, Veriko Tchumburidze and Nils Mönkemeyer. Over the years, she has received important musical guidance from musicians such as Tabea Zimmermann, Nobuko Imai, Lars Anders Tomter and Jean Sulem.

In 2021, Lilya made her solo recording debut with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she recorded Benjamin Britten’s "Lachrymae” for BBC Radio 3. Additional recordings include several concerts for Bavarian Radio. 

Since 2020, Lilya has experienced a flourishing career as the violist of the Malion Quartet, based in Frankfurt am Main. She plays on a viola by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, on loan from private owners of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking Italian food and running in Frankfurt’s many green parks.