(Photo credit: Curtis Perry) Baritone Joshua Hopkins and Yannick Nézet-Séguin give the U.S. orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie and Margaret Atwood’s “Songs for Murdered Sisters.” Hopkins’ sister, Nathalie Warmerdam, was one of the victims in one of Canada’s worst cases of domestic violence. Since Warmerdam’s murder in 2015, Hopkins has since set out on a journey to use his voice {…}
Metropolitan Opera Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the latest musician to voice support for Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The conductor took to social media with a Kamala t-shirt and said, “The world is watching—make your voices heard and VOTE! Love, Your friendly Canadian.” He also used the hashtags Kamala2024 and Vote2024. Nézet-Séguin’s support of Vice President Harris comes after AGMA {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been awarded the Laurent-McCutcheon Award from Fondation Émergence. The conductor and Metropolitan Opera Music Director took to social media and said, “What an honor to receive the Laurent-McCutcheon Award from Fondation Émergence! This award is given each year to a person who has contributed to the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights or to the fight against phobias related {…}
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Camilla Nylund, Andreas Schager, and Pietari Inkinen perform an evening of Wagner, Strauss, Kálmán, Lehar, Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 2025 Zum Rahmenprogramm des Festivals Gianandrea Noseda, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, and Philharmonia Zürich lead an all-Strauss program. Performance Dates: Feb. 22, 2025 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}
(Credit: MetropolItan Opera / Ken Howard) WARNING: This review features explicit language. It also uses some variation of the word “frustrating” a lot. To use a line from the cathartic and sublime climax in Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s “Grounded” – “What the f*ck?” That quotidian expression perfectly encapsulates, in the context of the climax and at large, the frustration {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has announced that he collaborated on the new film “Measures for a Funeral.” The Metropolitan Opera Music Director took to social media and said, “World Premiere tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival! I’m proud to have been part of ‘Measures for a Funeral’ with the Orchestre Métropolitain and to keep bringing classical music to the world through {…}
The Metropolitan Opera announced a contract extension of its Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, through the 2029–30 season. Nézet-Séguin is only the third Music Director in the company’s history. He began his tenure in the 2018–19 season. This six-year extension acknowledges the deepening partnership between Nézet-Séguin and the Met Orchestra and Chorus, as well as his committed artistry and {…}
(Credit: Brigitte Lacombe) While the Metropolitan Opera is finishing its season with 72 percent of tickets sold, increasing consistently and showing a growth of six percent compared to the 2022-23 season, a lot of questions remain as Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb and the company head into the off-season. When Peter Gelb and Yannick Nezet-Seguin were answering questions for the {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been named an ambassador for Rolex. The company said, “We are delighted to welcome Yannick Nézet-Séguin into the Rolex family. You may know this multiple Grammy winner for his stunning opera renditions and his fresh twist to timeless classics. Nézet-Séguin leads the Met Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Orchestre Metropolitain while running a mentorship program for young {…}
The Curtis Institute of Music has announced the expansion of its conducting program, while also making Yannick Nézet-Séguin the school’s Head of Conducting In his new role, the Met Opera’s Music Director will oversee the newly expanded program and work individually with conducting fellows on operatic and symphonic repertoire. The fellows will also work with the school’s voice and opera {…}
Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Bruckner’s “Te Deum” with Latonia Moore, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Limmie Pulliam, and Ryan Speedo Green. The program also includes Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 and Balfour’s Premiere for choir and orchestra. Performance Dates: Sept. 22, 2024 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Candian soloists in Beethoven’s Symphony {…}