Carnegie Hall

A key cultural ambassador of Québec, the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal (OM) has created a unique relationship with the public through initiatives that are driven by excellence and emotion. Whether performing at the Maison symphonique de Montréal or in the city’s boroughs as part of the Conseil des Arts de Montréal’s touring program, the ensemble ensures that each concert is an opportunity for music to resonate with the audience.

For more than 20 years, the OM has grown alongside its artistic director and principal conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, to develop bold, modern, and timely offerings. This shared vision has led the conductor and orchestra to sign a lifetime contract, a rare commitment in the world of classical music that gives them the chance to develop a unique and distinct personality.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin’s flourishing international career has had a positive impact on the OM, bringing the ensemble to some of the world’s greatest stages, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Philharmonie de Paris, and Verizon Hall in Philadelphia. In 2017, the OM toured Europe, followed by a US tour in 2019; a second European tour is planned for 2025. In 2024, in addition to Carnegie Hall, it toured to Philadelphia and Worcester. The orchestra has capitalized on each of these opportunities to promote the talent of local composers and musicians across the globe.

Since its founding in 1981, the OM’s mission has been to introduce children to music, foster a passion for music among young people, and support emerging musicians. Thanks to its many cultural and educational initiatives—such as its in-school activities, OMNI Music Competition, and Orchestral Conducting Academy, which gives Mr. Nézet-Séguin the chance to pass down his craft to the next generation of conductors—the orchestra has built a strong relationship with community members of all ages.

Artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal since 2000, Yannick Nézet-Séguin signed a lifelong commitment with the orchestra in September 2019. In September 2018, he became the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera, and he has served as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012. In 2023, he became music and artistic director in Philadelphia, and extended his contract through 2030. In 2016–2017, he became a lifetime honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. After a 10-year tenure with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed honorary conductor in 2019, a position he holds to this day.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin has worked regularly with many leading European ensembles and enjoys close collaborations with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Vienna Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was principal guest conductor from 2008 to 2014. His operatic interpretations have been acclaimed in many of the world’s most famous houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as well as at the Salzburg Festival, and he has also appeared in such renowned concert halls as the Vienna Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin records exclusively for the Deutsche Grammophon label while continuing his role in a collaborative partnership between ATMA Classique and the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. In addition to being named Musical America’s Artist of the Year, his honors include receiving the Virginia Parker Prize, a Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award (London), National Arts Centre Award (Ottawa), Prix Denise-Pelletier awarded by the government of Québec, Medal of Honor of the National Assembly of Québec, Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance, Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award, and Rubies Award by Opera Canada. His Grammy Awards include Best Orchestral Performance, for Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 with The Philadelphia Orchestra (2022); Best Opera Recording, for Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones (2023) and Champion (2024) at the Metropolitan Opera; and Best Vocal Recording, for Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene with soprano Renée Fleming (2023).

A gold medalist at the first China International Music Competition in 2019, and recipient of the Rheingau Musik Festival’s 2023 Lotto-Förderpreis, Canadian-born pianist Tony Siqi Yun is quickly becoming a sought-after soloist and recitalist. During the 2022–2023 season, he made his highly acclaimed debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and he now joins Mr. Nézet-Séguin on a US tour with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. Also in 2023–2024, he makes debut appearances at the Colorado Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Vail Dance Festival, as well as with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gemma New. Other engagements include performances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Lumos with Michael Stern, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra with Joseph Young, and New Jersey Symphony. Mr. Yun has also appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Yun regularly performs solo recitals in both Europe and North America. Recent and upcoming highlights include his debuts at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Stanford Live, Gilmore Rising Stars Series, and 92nd Street Y, as well as a return to the Vancouver Recital Series. He is a recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where he studies with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Matti Raekallio.