Yannick Nézet-Séguin (born Yannick Séguin on March 6, 1975) is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is the music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montréal, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. From 2008 to 2018, he was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Early life and education

Nézet-Séguin was born in Montreal on March 6, 1975, to Serge P. Séguin, a university professor, and Claudine Nézet, a university lecturer and coordinator. At age five, he began studying piano with Jeanne-d'Arc Lebrun-Lussier. At age ten, he decided to become an orchestra conductor.

At age twelve, he started studying at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal.

At fifteen, he added his mother's maiden name, Nézet, to his surname. Séguin is a common name in Quebec, and he stated that using a double-barreled name would help him stand out as an artist.

Career

At 19, he met and was invited to join Carlo Maria Giulini during rehearsals and concerts for more than a year. In 1994, he became the music director of the Chœur polyphonique de Montréal. In 1995, he took the same position at Choeur de Laval. That same year, he started his own professional orchestral and vocal group, La Chapelle de Montréal. With this group, he performed two to four concerts each year until 2002. He credits Charles Dutoit as his first musical influence as a child and Carlo Maria Giulini as his teacher. From 1998 to 2002, he worked as a chorus master and assistant conductor for the Opéra de Montréal. In 2002, he made his first conducting appearance in the United States at Sarasota Opera, leading Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

In 2000, he became the music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montréal. In 2003, he was named principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia, Canada. His contract with the Orchestre Métropolitain, originally ending in 2010, was extended through 2015. In September 2015, the orchestra announced another extension through the 2020–21 season. In September 2019, the orchestra announced he had signed a lifetime contract. He has recorded symphonies by Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler with the Orchestre Métropolitain.

In 2005, he guest-conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO) for the first time and returned in 2006. In December 2006, the RPhO named him their 11th principal conductor, starting in the 2008–09 season with a four-year contract. In 2010, the RPhO extended his contract through 2015. With the RPhO, he recorded for Virgin Classics and EMI. In 2013, his contract was extended through 2018. In 2015, the RPhO announced the end of his principal conductor role after the 2017–18 season. He now holds the title of Eredirigent (honorary conductor) with the RPhO.

In December 2008, he conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra for the first time, invited by Charles Dutoit. He returned in 2009. In 2010, he was named the eighth music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, starting in the 2012–13 season. He served as music director-designate from 2010 to 2012. His initial contract was for five seasons, with increasing numbers of concerts each year. In 2015, the orchestra extended his contract through 2021–22. In 2016, the contract was extended through 2025–26. In February 2023, the contract was extended through 2029–30, and his title changed to music and artistic director.

He began performing annually with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 2009, making his debut on December 31, 2009, conducting a new production of Carmen. He later conducted Don Carlo in 2010, Faust in 2011, La traviata in 2013, and Rusalka in 2014. He opened the Met’s 2015–16 season with a new production of Verdi’s Otello and returned in 2017 to conduct Der fliegende Holländer. In 2016, the Met announced he would become its next music director, starting in 2020–21. He took the title of music director-designate in 2017–18. In 2018, his appointment as music director was moved to 2018–19 after the Met’s previous music director was removed from his role.

In March 2022, he and the Met performed a charity concert for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. Proceeds from the event supported relief efforts. The concert was recorded for release on Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon labels. In August 2024, the Met extended his contract as music director through 2029–30. In May 2025, a music critic for The New Yorker noted that his work at the Met had not yet left a strong impression. However, a writer for Nuvo Magazine in August 2025 described his approach as respectful and collaborative, emphasizing his ability to inspire shared creativity.

He made his UK conducting debut with the Northern Sinfonia in the 2005–06 season. He conducted his first performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) in March 2007 and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in April 2007. In November 2007, the LPO named him principal guest conductor, starting in the 2008–09 season. His contract was extended in 2010 but ended in 2014. He made his debut at the Royal Opera House in 2012 with Rusalka, the first performance of the opera at Covent Garden. He is also an honorary member and guest conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He worked as a creative consultant on the 2023 film Days of Happiness by Chloé Robichaud, which tells the story of an orchestra conductor.

He conducted the 2026 New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Personal life

Nézet-Séguin lives in Montreal and Philadelphia. His husband, Pierre Tourville, is a violist in Orchestre Métropolitain. He has many pets and created a playlist on Spotify and Apple Music for pets to listen to as part of his online activities.

Honours

• Virginia Parker Prize (2000)
• Prix Opus (2005)
• Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artists (2009)
• National Arts Centre Award, which is part of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (2010)
• Honorary Doctorate, University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) (2011)
• Prix Denise-Pelletier, awarded by the Government of the Province of Quebec (2011)
• Companion of the Order of Canada (2012)
• Honorary Doctorate in Music, McGill University, Montreal (2017)
• The Betty Webster Award, Orchestras Canada, Peterborough/Montreal (2020)
• Grammy Awards:
• Won in 2022 for Best Orchestral Performance for Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
• Won in 2023 for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Voice of Nature – The Anthropocene with soprano Renée Fleming and Nézet-Séguin as accompanist
• Won in 2023 for Best Opera Recording for Blanchard: Fire Shut Up in My Bones with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus
• Won in 2024 for Best Opera Recording for Blanchard: Champion
• Won in 2025 for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein with the London Symphony Orchestra, Bradley Cooper, and others
• Nominated in 2022 for Best Opera Recording for Aucoin: Eurydice with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus
• Won in 2025 for Best Classical Compendium for A Concert for Ukraine
• Won in 2025 for Best Orchestral Performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra for Price: Symphony No. 4 and Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
• Won in 2024 for Best Orchestral Performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra for Still & Bonds: Variations and Symphonies
• Won in 2026 for Best Opera Recording for Tesori: Grounded
• Won in 2025 for Best Opera Recording for Catan: Florencia en el Amazonas and Puts: Opera The Hours

Discography

• Nino Rota, Concertos, Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2003)
• Glière, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and others, Conversations, Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2003)
• Mahler, Symphony No. 4, Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2004)
• Beethoven, Haydn, Caldara, and others, 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, Britten, Pierre Mercure, La mer (and others), Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2007)
• Pierre Lapointe, En concert, Orchestre Métropolitain, Audiogram (2007)
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 & Richard Strauss, 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, and others, 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, and others, Orchestre Métropolitain – 30 ans, Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique (2011)
• Richard Strauss, 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, Deutsche Grammophon (2013)
• Stravinsky, Le Sacre du printemps & Stokowski – Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon (2013)
• Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde, London Philharmonic Orchestra, LPO Ltd (2013)
• Joaquín Rodrigo & de Falla, Concertos, with Miloš Karadaglić (guitar), London Philharmonic Orchestra, LPO Ltd (2014)
• Robert Schumann, 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, Deutsche Grammophon (2015)
• Dvorák, Dvorák: Othello Overture – Symphony Nos. 6 & 7, London Philharmonic Orchestra (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