Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguinis now confirmed to lead The Philadelphia Orchestra for a decade into the future, through the 2025-26 season, an extraordinary and significant long-term commitment. Additionally, he will become the third music director in the history of the Metropolitan Opera, beginning with the 2021-22 season, and from 2017-18 will be music director designate.

Nézet-Séguin, who holds the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair, is an inspired leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Widely recognised for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma, Nézet-Séguin has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. His intensely collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike, from the Orchestra's home in Verizon Hall to the Carnegie Hall stage. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin "phenomenal", adding that under his baton, "the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better."

Nézet-Séguinhas has taken The Philadelphia Orchestra to new musical heights in performances at home in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, at the Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, in Philadelphia neighborhoods, and around the world. His concerts of diverse repertoire have attracted sold-out houses, and he continues to make connections within Philadelphia's rich arts community, showing his commitment to engaging music lovers of all ages across the region. In his fifth season as music director, he launches exciting artistic initiatives, including a year-long exploration of American Sounds, with works by Leonard Bernstein, Christopher Rouse, Mason Bates, and Christopher Theofanidis; music inspired by Paris interwoven throughout the season, including a three-week Music of Paris Festival; and the continuation of a focus on opera and sacred vocal works, including Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle and Mozart's Mass in C minor. Yannick is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra and by audiences wherever they perform. He made his inaugural tour with The Philadelphia Orchestra with the 2014 Tour of Asia, and the following year he took the Orchestra on their first European tour together, during which the Guardian of London exclaimed, "… it's proving a remarkable partnership." In September 2015 Yannick led the Orchestra in two performances for Pope Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families, at the Festival of Families and the Papal Mass. And in May-June 2016 Yannick and the Orchestra returned to Asia.

Under Nézet-Séguin's leadership the Orchestra returned to recording with a CD on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions of works by Bach. Their second disc for the label, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist Daniil Trifonov, was released in August 2015. In Nézet-Séguin's inaugural season the Orchestra returned to the radio airwaves, with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic since 2008 and artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000. He was principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic from 2008 to 2014, and last season he completed a three-year term as artist-in-residence at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Nézet-Séguin has made wildly successful appearances with the world's most revered ensembles - the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and all the major Canadian orchestras, among many others. Throughout Europe and North America, his appearances have left indelible marks on the international classical music scene, making him one of the most sought-after conductors in the world.

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, Milan's La Scala, London's Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Netherlands Opera, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and the historic Salzburg Festival demonstrate that he is an artist of remarkable versatility and depth.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Deutsche Grammophon (DG) embarked on a major long-term collaboration in July 2012. He continues fruitful recording relationships with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on DG, EMI Classics, and BIS Records; the London Philharmonic for the LPO label; and the Orchestre Métropolitain for ATMA Classique.

A native of Montreal, 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.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2012, one of the country's highest civilian honours, and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2015. His other honours include Musical America's 2016 Artist of the Year; a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada's National Arts Centre Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts awarded by the Quebec government; and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec in Montreal, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now in his fifth season as the eighth artistic leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He joins a remarkable list that covers the Orchestra's 116 seasons: music directors Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit, who served as Chief Conductor from 2008 to 2012. Under such superb guidance, The Philadelphia Orchestra has served as an unwavering standard of excellence in the world of classical music - and it continues to do so today.

Yannick's connection to the musicians of the Orchestra has been praised by both concertgoers and critics. The New York Times has said, "Mr. Nézet-Séguin … showed complete command of the score and all its entrails and contrails. He also gave further evidence of a superb rapport with this great orchestra." He is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community itself. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he has established a regular forum for connecting with concert-goers through Post-Concert Conversations.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra continues to discover new and inventive ways to nurture its relationship with its loyal patrons who support the main season (September-May) in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Kimmel Center, for which the Orchestra serves as the founding resident company, has been the ensemble's performance hall since 2001. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also owns the Academy of Music - a National Historic Landmark and the oldest operating opera house in the nation - as it has since 1957. Each year the Orchestra returns to the "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street" - where it performed for 101 seasons before moving to the Kimmel Center - for the Academy Anniversary Concert and Ball, one of the city's most highly anticipated and attended events.

Beyond its robust concert offerings at the Kimmel Center, the Orchestra also performs for Philadelphia audiences during the summer months at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, as well as in venues across the region, including Penn's Landing, Longwood Gardens, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Many of these performances are part of the ensemble's free Neighborhood Concert Series as well as its educational and community partnership programs - all of which create greater access and engagement with classical music as an art form.

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its decades-long tradition of presenting collaborative learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages across the Delaware Valley - a tradition dating back to 1921 when Leopold Stokowski initiated concerts exclusively for children. Today it serves as a catalyst for cultural activity across Philadelphia's many communities, building an offstage presence as strong as its onstage one and inspiring a uniquely Philadelphia energy. With Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Orchestra has launched its HEAR initiative to become a major force for good in every community that it serves.

HEAR is a portfolio of integrated initiatives that promotes Health, champions music Education, eliminates barriers to Accessing the orchestra, and maximizes impact through Research. These projects support those experiencing trauma such as homelessness; thousands of public school students; citizens of Philadelphia who will have opportunities to experience the Orchestra personally; and those not connected with the Orchestra or symphonic music, bridging all ages and backgrounds.

The Orchestra's award-winning Collaborative Learning initiatives engage over 50,000 students, families, and community members through programmes such as PlayINs, Side-by-Sides, PopUP concerts, free Neighborhood Concerts, School Concerts, and residency work in Philadelphia and abroad. The Orchestra's musicians, in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors, serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Outside Philadelphia, the Orchestra performs annually at Carnegie Hall and enjoys a three-week summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York as well as a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, which brings the world's finest orchestras to Colorado each summer.

The Orchestra also has a long history of touring, having first performed outside Philadelphia in the earliest days of its founding. The Philadelphia Orchestra was the first American orchestra to perform in the People's Republic of China in 1973. In 2012 the ensemble reconnected with its historical roots in China and more deeply embraced its role as a cultural ambassador by launching a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, a pilot residency that united the Orchestra with talented young Chinese musicians and composers to further develop their orchestral skills. The residency also served to bring orchestral music, through performances and master classes, not only to China's major cities but also further into the provinces. It connected through the hearts of local musicians to their supporting communities, through the sharing of musical talents between its own musicians and Chinese musicians, engaging in music education, and spreading the joy of classical music with citizens in residential neighborhoods and at landmark historic sites.

The Philadelphia Orchestra completed its 2014 Tour of Asia and China Residency in June 2014, marking Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin's first tour with the Orchestra. The ensemble's May 25^th concert in Shanghai was broadcast live via simulcast, reaching over 200,000 people. In May-June 2015 the Orchestra and Yannick undertook their first joint tour of Europe, receiving wide acclaim from packed houses. The Orchestra and Yannick returned to China in 2016. Yannick and the ensemble return to Asia in 2017 on a tour that includes the first-ever visit by a Western orchestra to Mongolia.

Yannick and the Orchestra welcomed the world to Philadelphia in September 2015, when His Holiness Pope Francis made a historic journey to the city for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families. As part of the significant weekend, Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestra performed for the Holy Father at the Festival of Families on Saturday, September 26^th, and provided the liturgical music for the Papal Mass on Sunday, September 27^th. In service to the city of Philadelphia, the Orchestra performed these events in front of millions present on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and watching around the world.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has long pushed the boundaries of convention in the classical music realm. Signature to such a reputation are world or American premieres of such important works as Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. Since Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore's arrival in 2010, The Philadelphia Orchestra has reinvigorated and launched new partnerships with Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Live Arts (Fringe Arts), Philadanco, Opera Philadelphia, the Curtis Institute of Music, Ridge Theater Company, and stage director James Alexander, among others.

As part of its commitment to bringing classical music to audiences wherever they may be, the Orchestra returned to recording under Yannick's leadership with a CD on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions of works by Bach and Stravinsky. A second disc, featuring Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist Daniil Trifonov, was released in August 2015. These continue the Orchestra's remarkable history in this area, having made its first recording in 1917 and having amassed an enormous discography in the intervening years.

These recent initiatives carry on a legacy that boasts an extraordinary record of media firsts, including being the first symphonic orchestra to make electrical recordings (in 1925), the first to perform its own commercially sponsored radio broadcast (in 1929, on NBC), the first to perform on the soundtrack of a feature film (Paramount's The Big Broadcast of 1937), the first to appear on a national television broadcast (in 1948, on CBS), and the first major orchestra to give a live cybercast of a concert on the internet (in 1997). The Orchestra also became the first major orchestra to multi-cast a concert to large-screen venues through the Internet 2 network.

NCPA Chorus was established on December 8^th, 2009, whose members were carefully selected from famous music schools in and out of China. Now the Chorus invites WU Lingfen as the conductor, with many artists well-known in China and abroad giving instructions. Affiliated to NCPA, the highest palace of performing arts in China, the Chorus adheres to NCPA's guiding principles of "for the people, for the arts, and for the world". The Chorus mainly stages operas and concerts, and also takes part in kinds of cultural communication and arts outreach events.

Ever since its establishment, the Chorus has actively performed in more than 20 operas of NCPA production, such as NCPA's original operas Xi Shi, The Chinese Orphan, and The Ballad of Canal, as well as other classical operas in and out of China: The White-Haired Girl, The Red Guards on Honghu Lake, Le Nozze di Figaro, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, L'italiana in Algeri, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Otello, Der Fliegende Hollander, Lohengrin, Carmen, Turandot, Tosca, etc. Its artistic quality receives rave acclaims from both the critics and the audience.

 

Besides operas, the Chorus has participated in many grand vocal works and themed concerts, such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and No. 8, and the grand music and dance epic Road to Revive, etc. As NCPA's resident chorus, it has been to Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan to participate in performances and arts exchange, both to wide acclaims.

The Chorus has cooperated with many well-known artists ever since its establishment, receiving high praises from them all. Plácido Domingo once said it was his honour to cooperate with these talented young artists; Lorin Maazel ever praised it "a chorus full of passion", so and so forth. On the stage of NCPA, the Chorus has cooperated with such directors as Francesca Zambello, Giancarlo Del Monaco, CHEN Xinyi, CAO Qijing, LIAO Xianghong, such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Daniel Oren, LÜ Jia, LI Xincao, ZHANG Guoyong, such singers as Plácido Domingo, Leo Nucci, Inva Mula, Brandon Jovanovich, DAI Yuqiang, WEI Song, Warren Mok, HE Hui, Dilbèr, ZHANG Liping, to name just a few. With more than a hundred performances each year, the Chorus is surely to play an active role in the further development of NCPA.