Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin; 6 March 1975) is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is the music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the Metropolitan Opera (New York City), and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2018.
Nézet-Séguin was born in Montreal on 6 March 1975 to Serge P. Séguin, a university professor, and Claudine Nézet, a university lecturer and coordinator. He began to study piano at age five, with Jeanne-d'Arc Lebrun-Lussier, and decided to become an orchestra conductor at age ten.
At age twelve, he began studying at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal.
At the age of fifteen he added his mother's maiden name, Nézet, to his surname. Séguin is a common name in Quebec, and he has said that a double-barreled name would help him stand out as an artist.
At 19, he met and was invited to follow Carlo Maria Giulini in rehearsals and concerts for more than a year. He became the musical director of the Chà Âur polyphonique de Montréal in 1994 and obtained the same post at Choeur de Laval in 1995. In 1995, he founded his own professional orchestral and vocal ensemble, La Chapelle de Montréal, with whom he performed two to four concerts a year until 2002. He considers Charles Dutoit as his first inspiration as a child and Carlo Maria Giulini as his master. From 1998 to 2002, Nézet-Séguin was chorus master and assistant conductor of the Opéra de Montréal. Maestro Nézet-Séguin made his American conducting debut in 2002 at Sarasota Opera conducting Mozart's Così fan tutte.
Nézet-Séguin became music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal) in 2000, and principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony (British Columbia, Canada) in 2003. His contract with the Orchestre Métropolitain through 2010 was later extended through 2015. In September 2015, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract through the 2020âÂÂ21 season. In September 2019, the orchestra announced that Nézet-Séguin had signed for a lifetime contract. He has conducted commercial recordings of symphonies of Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler with the Orchestre Métropolitain.
In 2005, Nézet-Séguin guest-conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO) for the first time, and returned in 2006. In December 2006, the RPhO announced the appointment of Nézet-Séguin as their 11th Principal Conductor, by a unanimous vote, starting with the 2008âÂÂ09 concert season, with an initial contract of 4 years. In April 2010, the RPhO announced the extension of his contract through 2015. With the RPhO, Nézet-Séguin has recorded commercially for Virgin Classics and for EMI. In June 2013, the RPhO further extended his contract through the summer of 2018. In May 2015, the RPhO announced the conclusion of Nézet-Séguin's tenure as RPhO principal conductor at the end of the 2017âÂÂ2018 season. He now has the title of Eredirigent (honorary conductor) of the RPhO.
In December 2008, Nézet-Séguin made his first appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra, at the invitation of Charles Dutoit. He returned for a second guest-conducting engagement in December 2009. In June 2010, he was named the eighth music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, starting with the 2012âÂÂ13 season. He served as music director-designate from 2010 to 2012. His initial contract as music director was for 5 seasons, with 7 weeks of scheduled concerts in the 2012âÂÂ13 season, 15 weeks in the next 2 seasons, and 16 weeks in the subsequent 2 seasons of his Philadelphia contract. In January 2015, the orchestra announced a five-year extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract to the 2021âÂÂ2022 season. In June 2016, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract, through the 2025âÂÂ26 season.
In February 2023, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract, through the 2029âÂÂ2030 season, along with a change in his title to music and artistic director.
Nézet-Séguin began annual appearances with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 2009, making his début on 31 December 2009, conducting a new production of Carmen. There followed Don Carlo in 2010 and in 2015, Faust in 2011, La traviata in 2013, and Rusalka in 2014. He opened the Met's 2015âÂÂ16 season in September 2015 conducting a new production of Verdi's Otello, and returned in 2017 to conduct Der fliegende Holländer. On 2 June 2016, the Metropolitan Opera announced the appointment of Nézet-Séguin as the next music director, effective with the 2020âÂÂ2021 season, with an initial contract of four years. He took the title of music director-designate as of the 2017âÂÂ18 season. In February 2018, the company announced Nézet-Séguin's rescheduled assumption of the title of music director two years early, as of the 2018âÂÂ2019 season, following the Met's dismissal of James Levine for sexual misconduct.
On 14 March 2022, Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera performed a charity concert for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country with all ticket and album sales and donations supporting war relief efforts, a concert recorded for a digital release album on the Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon labels. In August 2024, the Metropolitan Opera announced the extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract as its music director through the 2029âÂÂ2030 season. In May 2025 the music critic for <em>The New Yorker</em> observed: "Seven seasons into his tenure at the Met, Nézet-Séguin has yet to make much of a mark. There is something faceless about his music-making; everything sounds reasonably good, but nothing sticks in the mind." On the other hand, Claudia Cusano at Nuvo Magazine, August 2025, says that "Musicians often speak about Nézet-Séguin's respectful and collaborative approach. He doesn't impose his will from the podium. Instead, he invites interpretation, listens deeply, and creates space for shared ownership of the music. He brings a contagious energy."
Nézet-Séguin made his UK conducting debut with the Northern Sinfonia in the 2005âÂÂ06 season. He debuted with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) in March 2007, and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in April 2007. In November 2007, the LPO appointed Nézet-Séguin as their principal guest conductor, starting with the 2008âÂÂ09 season. Following a May 2010 extension of his contract as LPO principal guest conductor, he stood down from the post in 2014. He made his Royal Opera House debut with Rusalka, the first stagings of the opera at Covent Garden, in 2012. He is also an honorary member and guest conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He served as a creative consultant on Days of Happiness (Les Jours heureux), a 2023 drama film by Chloé Robichaud about an orchestra conductor.
He conducted the 2026 New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Nézet-Séguin resides in Montreal and Philadelphia. His husband, Pierre Tourville, is a violist in Orchestre Métropolitain. He has multiple pets, and has made a playlist on Spotify and Apple music for pets to listen to as part of his social media activities.