Bayreuth, Germany: Conductor Oksana Lyniv on Sunday became the first woman to hold the baton in the 145-year history of Germany’s renowned Bayreuth opera festival, with Chancellor Angela Merkel in the audience. Lyniv, 43, from Ukraine, opened the festival dedicated to the works of Richard Wagner by conducting a new production of "The Flying Dutchman" directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov.