(Credit: Landon Nordeman)

Yannick Nézet-Séguin has announced the “Yannick Nézet-Séguin Mentorship Program,” in partnership with Rolex.

The new initiative is dedicated to developing early-career conducting talent. Rolex is the founding partner of the program. The program is designed by Nézet-Séguin and is now accepting applications for its inaugural cycle, beginning with an in-person conducting workshop scheduled for early February 2027.

Over the course of the program, conductors will work closely with Nézet-Séguin and the institutions he leads, gaining the kind of firsthand experience that shapes a music director’s career. For the workshop, four conductors will be invited and will be selected through a rigorous application process.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with two orchestras: first with The Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia’s Marian Anderson Hall, focused on symphonic repertoire, then with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and singers from the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.

At the end of the workshop, Nézet-Séguin will select two conductors for the inaugural year-long mentorship, which runs from September 2027 through August 2028.

In a statement, Yannick Nézet-Séguin said, “This program strives to instill the values I bring to my conducting: collaborative leadership, authenticity, inclusivity, and kindness in the next generation of music directors to create meaningful music at the highest level. I am now in a unique position as a leader of three great institutions to provide access to the next generation of musical leaders, and I want to share what I have learned from decades as a music director with conductors who can carry the baton forward.”

Arnaud Boetsch, Director of Communication and Image at Rolex added, “Rolex is proud to be a founding partner of the Yannick Nézet-Séguin Mentorship Program. We wish Yannick all the best as he offers the wealth of his experience to lucky young conductors. Through our Perpetual Arts Initiative, we support a range of educational programs that foster talented young artists to reach the highest levels of excellence and achievement.”