Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Yannick Nézet-Séguin became the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra with the start of the 2012-13 season. Named music director designate in June 2010, he made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in December 2008. Over the past decade, Nézet-Séguin has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. Since 2008 he has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, and since 2000 artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles—the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and all the major Canadian orchestras, among many others. Throughout Europe and North America, Yannick’s appearances have left indelible marks on the international classical music scene, making him one of the most sought-after conductors in the world.

Since his first appearance in Philadelphia Yannick has connected not only with the musicians of the Orchestra but with the community. His concerts of diverse repertoire offerings attract sold-out houses, and he has established a regular forum for connecting with audiences through Meet & Greets and Post-Concert Conversations following his performances.

Yannick has led The Philadelphia Orchestra in a breadth of repertoire ranging from the intimate—Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (which he led from the keyboard)—to the monumental—Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (which is available for download) and launched a multi-year exploration of the world’s great requiems with performances of the Mozart Requiem in January 2011 and Brahms’s A German Requiem in November 2011. He continues this survey in the 2012-13 season with the Verdi Requiem, which includes his debut at Carnegie Hall. Yannick leads two additional performances at that historic concert hall during the season. Other highlights of his inaugural season include an Opening Night Concert featuring soprano Renée Fleming, two world premieres (by Gabriela Lena Frank and Oliver Knussen), the U.S. premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s Violin Concerto, and performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in collaboration with New York-based Ridge Theater, complete with dancers, video projection, and theatrical lighting.

Widely praised by audiences, critics, and artists alike for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma, Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s talents extend beyond symphonic music into the world of opera and choral music. His critically acclaimed performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera (where he appears annually), Milan’s La Scala, London’s Royal Opera House, and the historic Salzburg Festival demonstrate that he is an artist of remarkable versatility and depth.

In July 2012 Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Deutsche Grammophon announced a major long-term collaboration, following highly successful DVD releases of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet from the Salzburg Festival and Bizet’s Carmen from the Metropolitan Opera. Yannick’s discography with the Rotterdam Philharmonic includes recordings of Strauss and Berlioz for BIS Records, and three EMI/Virgin releases, including an Edison Award-winning album of Ravel’s orchestral works. He has also recorded several award-winning albums with the Orchestre Métropolitain for the Canadian label ATMA Classique.

Yannick’s appearances with other ensembles in the 2012-13 season include two separate tours to Japan and the Far East with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, a German tour with the London Philharmonic, and a cycle of the complete Schumann symphonies and concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in Paris. He also returns to the Bavarian Radio Symphony and to the Metropolitan Opera for Verdi’s La traviata.

A native of Montreal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at Montreal’s Conservatory of Music and continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini; he also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College.

In 2012 Yannick was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. His other honors include a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; an Echo Award; the Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council; Canada’s National Arts Centre Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts in Quebec, awarded by the Quebec government; and an honorary doctorate by the University of Quebec in Montreal.