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Medias > Press Releases > Press ReleaseYannick Nézet-Séguin Appointed Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2008The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal is proud to announce that its Artistic Director and principal Conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will also become Music Director of the prestigious Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2008. This major appointment, attesting to the young Montreal conductor’s international reputation, will have no effect on his role or presence with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal. “I am especially attached to the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and its musicians, with whom I have developed such a rich relationship of rare intensity over these past six years,” stated Yannick Nézet-Séguin from Europe. “I started something special with this orchestra, and truly intend to continue being very closely involved in its development,” added the Maestro. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been Artistic Director of the Métropolitain since 2000. Through this orchestra, he has been able to showcase and develop his immense talent, and plans to continue playing a key role well beyond August 31, 2010, when his current contract ends. A unanimous choiceThe musicians of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra were unanimous and enthusiastic in their choice of Yannick Nézet-Séguin to replace Valery Gergiev, who will be leaving Rotterdam in 2008 after 20 years as its Conductor. Nézet-Séguin joins a roster of distinguished conductors who have held posts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic during its 88-year history: Valery Gergiev, whose tenure began in 1988; Sir Simon Rattle, James Conlon, Edo de Waart, Franz-Paul Decker and Eduard Flipse. Nézet-Séguin will conduct the RPhO for, on average, eight weeks each season, in addition to tours. Prior to taking up his new position, he will lead the RPhO in performances of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, works by Mahler and Strauss, and a tour to China, Japan and South-Korea. Nézet-Séguin will also conduct special programmes celebrating the RPhO’s 90th anniversary in 2008. An impressive career to dateBorn in Montréal in 1975, Nézet-Séguin was educated at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where, in addition to becoming a prize-winning pianist, his studies included composition, chamber music and conducting. He also studied choral conducting at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and subsequently studied with several famous conductors, including Carlo Maria Giulini, who remains a great inspiration. Appointed Artistic Director and Maestro of the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal in 2000, to date Yannick Nézet-Séguin has conducted over 300 concerts with the Métropolitain and recorded with it four CDs on the ATMA Classic label, which have prompted critical acclaim world-wide: his recording of Nina Rota’s La Strada and concertos won two Opus prizes for Best Recording of the Year; his Mahler Symphony No. 4 earned top marks from Diapason magazine; his Kurt Weill recording with singer Diane Dufresne was awarded ADISQ’s CD of the Year; his recording of the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with the organist Philippe Bélanger garnered rave reviews from such industry notables as Fanfare magazine, which declared, “This goes straight to the front rank, alongside Munch and Barenboim.” ATMA’s next release with Nézet-Séguin and Orchestre Métropolitain is Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 7, slated for release early in 2007. This release is the first of three ATMA recordings of Bruckner’s final symphonies with Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain. As a pianist, Nézet-Séguin has recorded three duo recital albums for ATMA: Mozart Lieder with soprano Suzie LeBlanc (on which he plays fortepiano); Arianna a Naxos with countertenor David DQ Lee; and Conversations with trombonist Alain Trudel. In Canada, Nézet-Séguin has been invited to conduct the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Edmonton Symphony, Orchestra London, and the Victoria Symphony, where he was Principal Guest Conductor from 2003 to 2006. Nézet-Séguin is also a gifted opera conductor and has led many productions ranging from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito to Berg’s Wozzeck, with invitations from l’Opéra de Québec, Vancouver Opera and Opera Ontario. He made his U.S. opera conducting debut at the Sarasota Opera with Così fan Tutte in 2001/02. This season sees his debuts with the Canadian Opera Company conducting Gounod’s Faust, and the Barcelona Opera with a double-bill of Massenet’s Portrait de Manon and Poulenc’s La voix humaine. Nézet-Séguin’s European debuts during the 2004/2005 season had tremendous impact, leading to immediate re-invitations with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as to his extremely successful debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre National de France, the Sydney Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Upcoming debuts include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Zurich, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. L’Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand MontréalFounded in 1981 by graduates of faculties and conservatories of Music in Quebec, the Orchestre Métropolitain has distinguished itself in its goal of promoting classical music and Canadian talent to the public at large. The Orchestre also gives introductory courses in classical music and regularly collaborates with artists from other areas. Averaging 70 concerts a year, the Métropolitain actively contributes to expanding Montréal’s cultural life. During its regular season, the Orchestre presents concerts at the Place des Arts as well as in several of the boroughs and cities on the Island of Montréal, not to mention primary schools. Since 1990, the Métropolitain has given free concerts in various parks throughout the summer. -30- André Dupras, Executive Director Note: The French TV network of CBC/Radio-Canada has recent footage of Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain in concert on November 15, 2006. Information:
[7209] News posted Tuesday, December 12, 2006. |