Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin;David Patrick Stearns, "Nezet-Seguin signs Philadelphia Orchestra contract". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 19 June 2010. 6 March 1975) is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is the music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

(New York City), and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2018.

Early life and education

Nézet-Séguin was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on 6 March 1975 to Serge P. Séguin, a university professor, and Claudine Nézet, a university lecturer and coordinator. He began to study piano at age five, with Jeanne-d'Arc Lebrun-Lussier, and decided to become an orchestra conductor at age ten. At age twelve, he began studying at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal. At the age of fifteen he added his mother's maiden name, Nézet, to his surname. Séguin is a common name in Quebec, and he has admitted that a double-barreled name would help him stand out as an artist.

Career

At 19, he met and was invited to follow Carlo Maria Giulini in rehearsals and concerts for more than a year. He became the musical director of the Chœur polyphonique de Montréal in 1994 and obtained the same post at Choeur de Laval in 1995. In 1995, he founded his own professional orchestral and vocal ensemble, La Chapelle de Montréal, with whom he performed two to four concerts a year until 2002. He considers Charles Dutoit as his first inspiration as a child and Carlo Maria Giulini as his master. From 1998 to 2002, Nézet-Séguin was chorus master and assistant conductor of the Opéra de Montréal. Maestro Nézet-Séguin made his American conducting debut in 2002 at Sarasota Opera conducting Mozart's ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

''.

Orchestre Métropolitain

Nézet-Séguin became music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal) in 2000, and principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony (British Columbia, Canada) in 2003. His contract with the Orchestre Métropolitain through 2010David Patrick Stearns, "Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads two orchestras in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in Ottawa". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 18 June 2010. was later extended through 2015. In September 2015, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract through the 2020–21 season. In September 2019, the orchestra announced that Nézet-Séguin had signed for a lifetime contract. He has conducted commercial recordings of symphonies of Anton Bruckner and

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

with the Orchestre Métropolitain.

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

In 2005, Nézet-Séguin guest-conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO) for the first time, and returned in 2006. In December 2006, the RPhO announced the appointment of Nézet-Séguin as their 11th Principal Conductor, by a unanimous vote, starting with the 2008–09 concert season, with an initial contract of 4 years. In April 2010, the RPhO announced the extension of his contract through 2015. With the RPhO, Nézet-Séguin has recorded commercially for Virgin Classics and for EMI. In June 2013, the RPhO further extended his contract through the summer of 2018. In May 2015, the RPhO announced the conclusion of Nézet-Séguin's tenure as RPhO principal conductor at the end of the 2017–2018 season. He now has the title of ''Eredirigent'' (honorary conductor) of the RPhO.

Philadelphia Orchestra

In December 2008, Nézet-Séguin made his first appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra, at the invitation of Charles Dutoit. He returned for a second guest-conducting engagement in December 2009. In June 2010, he was named the eighth music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, starting with the 2012–13 season. He served as music director-designate from 2010 to 2012. His initial contract as music director was for 5 seasons, with 7 weeks of scheduled concerts in the 2012–13 season, 15 weeks in the next 2 seasons, and 16 weeks in the subsequent 2 seasons of his Philadelphia contract. In January 2015, the orchestra announced a five-year extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract to the 2021–2022 season. In June 2016, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract, through the 2025–26 season. In February 2023, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract, through the 2029–2030 season, along with a change in his title to music and artistic director.

Metropolitan Opera

Nézet-Séguin began annual appearances with the

in New York City in 2009, making his début on 31 December 2009, conducting a new production of '' Carmen''. There followed '' Don Carlo'' in 2010 and in 2015, '' Faust'' in 2011, '' La traviata'' in 2013, and '' Rusalka'' in 2014. He opened the Met's 2015–16 season in September 2015 conducting a new production of Verdi's ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...

'', and returned in 2017 to conduct '' Der fliegende Holländer''. On 2 June 2016, the Metropolitan Opera announced the appointment of Nézet-Séguin as the next music director, effective with the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of four years. He took the title of music director-designate as of the 2017–18 season. In February 2018, the company announced Nézet-Séguin's rescheduled assumption of the title of music director two years early, as of the 2018–2019 season, following the Met's dismissal of

James Levine James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...

for sexual misconduct. On 14 March 2022, Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera performed a charity concert for

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country with all ticket and album sales and donations supporting war relief efforts, a concert recorded for a digital release album on the Decca Classics and

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

labels. In August 2024, the Metropolitan Opera announced the extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract as its music director through the 2029–2030 season. In May 2025 the music critic for The New Yorker observed: “Seven seasons into his tenure at the Met, Nézet-Séguin has yet to make much of a mark. There is something faceless about his music-making; everything sounds reasonably good, but nothing sticks in the mind.”

Other major engagements

Nézet-Séguin made his UK conducting debut with the Northern Sinfonia in the 2005–06 season. He debuted with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

(LPO) in March 2007, and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in April 2007. In November 2007, the LPO appointed Nézet-Séguin as their principal guest conductor, starting with the 2008–09 season. Following a May 2010 extension of his contract as LPO principal guest conductor, he stood down from the post in 2014. He made his

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

debut with '' Rusalka'', the first stagings of the opera at Covent Garden, in 2012. He is also an honorary member and guest conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He served as a creative consultant on '' Days of Happiness (Les Jours heureux)'', a 2023 drama film by Chloé Robichaud about an orchestra conductor.

Personal life

Nézet-Séguin resides in Montreal and Philadelphia with his husband Pierre Tourville, a violist in Orchestre Métropolitain. He has multiple pets, and has made a playlist on Spotify and Apple music for pets to listen to as part of his social media activities.

Honours

* Virginia Parker Prize (2000) * Prix Opus (2005) *

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

Young artists (2009) *

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (2010) * Doctorate ''honoris causa'', UQAM (2011) * Prix Denise-Pelletier, Government of the Province of Quebec (2011) * Companion of the Order of Canada (2012) * Doctorate ''honoris causa'' in music,

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, Montreal (2017) * The Betty Webster Award, Orchestras Canada,

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

/Montreal (2020) *

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, winner in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

for Best Orchestral Performance for

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation expected, required, or given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, especially when the product is a service rather than a ph ...

: '' Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3''; in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for ''Voice of Nature – The Anthropocene'' with soprano

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

and Nézet-Séguin as accompanist, Best Opera Recording: for Blanchard: '' Fire Shut Up in My Bones'' with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus, in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

for Best Opera Recording for Blanchard: '' Champion'' and in

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for '' Maestro: Music by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

'' with the London Symphony Orchestra and Bradley Cooper and nominated for Best Opera Recording for Aucoin: '' Eurydice'', also with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus in 2022; Best Classical Compendium for ''A Concert for Ukraine'' and for Best Orchestral Performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra for Price: '' Symphony No. 4''; Dawson: '' Negro Folk Symphony'' for 2024 and in

for Best Opera Recording for Catan: '' Florencia en el Amazonas'' and Puts:'' Opera The Hours''.

Discography

Orchestral works

* Nino Rota, ''Concertos'', Orchestre Métropolitain,

ATMA Classique ATMA Classique is an independent classical record label based in Montreal, and welcomes artists from Quebec, across Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territorie ...

(2003) * Glière, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, et al., ''Conversations'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2003) * Mahler, '' Symphony no. 4'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2004) *

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

, Haydn, Caldara, et al., ''Arianna a Naxos'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2004) * Arthur De Greef, ''Orchestral Works'', Flemish Radio Orchestra, Klara (2004) * Saint-Saëns, '' Symphony No. 3'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2006) * Bruckner, '' Symphony No. 7'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2007) *

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, Britten,

Pierre Mercure Pierre Mercure (21 February 1927 – 29 January 1966) was a Canadian composer, TV producer, bassoonist, and administrator. Mercure was born in Montreal. As a student at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, he earned honour ...

, '' La mer (et al.)'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2007) * Pierre Lapointe, ''En concert'', Orchestre Métropolitain, Audiogram (2007) * Beethoven, '' Symphony No. 3'' &

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

, '' Death and Transfiguration'', Rotterdam Philharmonic, RPhO (2008) * Bruckner, '' Symphony No. 9'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2008) * Beethoven, '' Violin Concerto'', & Korngold, '' Violin Concerto'', Renaud Capuçon (violin), Rotterdam Philharmonic, RPhO (2009) * Bruckner, '' Symphony No. 8'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2009) * Ravel, ''Orchestral works'', Rotterdam Philharmonic, EMI Classics (2009) * Tchaikovsky, et al., ''Fantasy: A Night at the Opera'', Emmanuel Pahud (flute), EMI Classics (2010) * Brahms, '' A German Requiem'', London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, LPO Ltd (2010) * Berlioz, '' Symphonie fantastique'', Rotterdam Philharmonic, BIS Records (2011) * Florent Schmitt, ''La tragédie de Salomé'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2011) * Debussy, et al., ''Orchestre Métropolitain – 30 ans'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2011) *

, '' Ein Heldenleben & Vier letzte Lieder'', with Dorothea Röschmann (soprano), BIS Records (2011) * Bruckner, '' Symphony No. 4'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2011) * Mahler, '' Symphony No. 5'', The Philadelphia Orchestra (2011) * Bruckner, '' Symphony No. 6'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2013) * various, ''Portraits: The Clarinet Album'', with Andreas Ottensamer, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Virgin Classics (2013) * Tchaikovsky, '' Symphony No. 6, Pathétique'', Rotterdam Philharmonic,

(2013) * Stravinsky, '' Le Sacre du printemps'', & Stokowski– Bach, ''

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, BWV 565, is a composition for Pipe organ, organ by, according to the oldest sources, German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most widely recognisable works in the organ re ...

'', The Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon (2013) * Mahler, '' Das Lied von der Erde'',

, LPO Ltd (2013) * Joaquín Rodrigo & de Falla, ''Concertos'', with Miloš Karadaglić (guitar), London Philharmonic Orchestra, LPO Ltd (2014) *

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

, ''The (Four) Symphonies'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2014) * Rachmaninov, ''Rachmaninov Variations'', ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43'', Daniil Trifonov (piano), The Philadelphia Orchestra,

(2015) * Dvorak, ''Dvorak: Othello Overture – Symphony Nos. 6 & 7'',

(2017) * Mendelssohn, ''Symphonies 1–5'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe and RIAS Kammerchor, Deutsche Grammophon (2017) * Prokofiev, ''VISIONS OF PROKOFIEV'', Romeo and Juliet, Op.64, Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op.19, Cinderella, Op.87, Violin Concerto No.2 in G Minor, Op.63, The Love For Three Oranges, Op.33, Chamber Orchestra of Europe,

(2018) * Bernstein, ''

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

'', The Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon (2018) * Rachmaninov, ''Destination Rachmaninov: Departure'', Piano Concertos 2&4, Daniil Trifonov (piano), The Philadelphia Orchestra,

(2018) *

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, ''Piano Concerto No.20, K.466'', Seong-Jin Cho (piano), Chamber Orchestra of Europe,

(2018) * Florence Price, ''Florence Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3'', The Philadelphia Orchestra,

(2021) * Mahler, '' Symphony No. 10'', Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique ACD2 2711 (recorded 2014, released 2015) * De Sabata, ''Suite Op. 2'', ''Juventus'', ''La notte di Plàton'', ''Gethsemani'', The Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon (2023) * Brahms, ''Symphonies 1-4, Chamber Orchestra of Europe,

(2024)''

Vocal recitals

* Kurt Weill, ''Lieder'', Diane Dufresne (soprano), Orchestre Métropolitain,

(2005) *

, ''Lieder'', Suzie LeBlanc (soprano), Nézet-Séguin (piano), ATMA Classique (2006) * Puccini, et al., Marc Hervieux (tenor), Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2010)

Operas

* Gounod, '' Roméo et Juliette'', Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg (

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

(2008) *

, ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'', Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon (2012) * Mozart, ''

'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2013) * Mozart, ''

Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () (Köchel catalogue, K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's . The plot concer ...

'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2015) * Mozart, '' Le nozze di Figaro'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2016) * Mozart, '' La Clemenza di Tito'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2018) * Mozart, '' Die Zauberflöte'', Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Deutsche Grammophon (2020)

Operas on video

* Bizet, '' Carmen'',

(2010) * Dvorák, '' Rusalka'',

, Decca Classics (2014) * Gounod, '' Faust'',

, Decca Classics (2014)

References

External links

Official website
(in English and French)
Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal biography

Askonas Holt agency biography

Biography at the Canadian Encyclopedia

(in English and French). * ttp://www.philorch.org/yns/about.html Philadelphia Orchestra page on Nézet-Séguin
Interview at Classical WETA 90.9 FM

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation, "Yannick Nézet-Séguin: 2010 National Arts Centre Award", biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nezet-Seguin, Yannick 1975 births 21st-century American musicians 21st-century Canadian classical pianists 21st-century Canadian conductors (music) 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian male musicians Canadian gay musicians Canadian male classical pianists Canadian male conductors (music) Chief conductors of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Companions of the Order of Canada Deutsche Grammophon artists Governor General's Award winners Grammy Award winners LGBTQ classical musicians Living people Music directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians from Montreal Prix Denise-Pelletier winners Westminster Choir College alumni