Lilyan Kaiv was born in 1974 in Tartu, Estonia to a family of choir conductor and an engineer. In 1980 she entered children music school to study violin. In 1989 she started to study choir conducting in Tartu Music High School named after Heino Eller. During her studies Lilyan founded her first chamber choir „Ma non troppo“ with whome she worked eight years. With this choir she has won several prices and become renown. In 1994 started Lilyan her choir conducting studies in Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn with Professor Toomas Kapten. In 2002 she got a degree master of music. In 2002-2005 she studied conducting of symphony orchestra with Professor Jüri Alperten in Estonian Academy of Music. During this period 1994 – 2005 Lilyan has worked as a conductor and manager of symphony orchestra of Tallinn Music High School, took part master classes of Eri Klas, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Neil Thomson, Ilja Mussin, Alexander Dimitriev and Vladimir Ponkin. Matster classess gave her aunity to conduct different orchetras among them Moscow Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2000 she started working in Tartu Music High school as a conductor of symphony orchestra „Eller Symphony“ with whome she is working till now. „Eller symphony“ is an orchestra where together are playing students, teachers and the professional players. The orchestra gives 4-5 concerts per year, some of them with an Eller Mixt Choir. Every year ends with big gala concert where young soloists have opportunity to play with the orchestra. Since 2008 she is working also as a head of conducting department and has her own students. In 2010 started Lilyan to work with Estonian Music Teachers Symphony Orchestra as a music director and conductor. Abnormaly big desire to conduct operas has called to life several summer projects, during the projects „Carmen“ by G. Bizet, „Der Mond“ and „Carmina Burana“ by C. Orff have been performed, some of them in the middle of forest.

In her work with orchestras, Lilyan has presented a wide range of vocal-symphonic major works, symphonies and instrumental concerts. Her repertoire is very diverse, incorporating music from early classical right up to the 21yth century and also a large selection of 21th century Estonian music. Lilyan has now presented more than 70 major works. Lilyan has took part of several competitions for conductors as well: in 1997 and 2000 in Riga, Latvia where she won first prize both times and got as an award several concerts with Latvian tate Choir „Latvia“ and with Liepaja Symphony Orchestra. From these competitions she got a nicname „Lapi nõid“ (witch of Lapland).

In 2002 she won international conductors competition in Tallinn and 2003 got second prize from Jorma Panula symphony conductors competition in Vasa, Finland. 2013 and 2015 she become a finalist of Blue Danube opera conducting competition in Ruse, Bulgaria and in 2014 she become a finalist of Luigi Mancinelli opera conducting competition in Orvieto, Italy.