From the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra (Canada) to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra this January 1 at the Musikverein in Viennain the Golden Room. New professional experience for Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Canadian musical director with an extensive career, with … a resume that ranges from music director of the New York Metropolitan Opera to his more than 25 years at the helm of the Canadian Metropolitan. After decades at the head of some of the most important institutions and organizations internationally, Nézet-Séguin was named an honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
The 2026 New Year’s Concert will thus bear the imprint of this artist and with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra they will perform a traditional repertoire to which will be added up to five new pieces never before performed in this recital. You can follow live La 1, RTVE Play and TVE International Europe. It is possible to listen to it on RNE and Radio Clásica.
The choice of Yannick Nézet-Séguin was very thoughtful. The President of the Vienna Philharmonic, Daniel Froschauershared that the choice of a professional with this profile is due, among other reasons, to building bridges with a generation of leaders and young musicianswithout this meaning leaving aside the tradition which characterizes the Viennese orchestra. As indicated previously, a clear example of this is the choice of new compositions from the usual repertoire, including two by female creators. “He represents the genres that make up the musical language of the Vienna Philharmonic,” Froschauer, who had also previously collaborated with Nézet-Séguin, explained to the media.
The Canadian musical director worked periodically with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This participation began 15 years ago, during Mozart Week in Salzburg (2010). Since then, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has frequently performed with the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic and even participates in its international tours.
Conductor of major European orchestras
As mentioned above, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has an award-winning track record professional careerhaving collaborated with such important orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe or the Bavarian Rundfunk Symphony, among others. At the same time, he participated in music festivals and gave master classes in two prestigious institutions in the sector: the Curtis Institute, in Philadelphia, and the Julliard School in New York. In Quebec, he launched an academy for young directors, linked to the Métropolitain.
Among his most notable links, the one he strengthens with this New Year’s concert in Viennawith the Philharmonic of the Austrian capital. In March 2025, he toured the west coast of the United States with five concerts, followed by five recitals in Vienna. To this he added concerts in other cities in Europe, such as Paris and Salzburg, among others. Thus, the performance on January 1, 2026 will mark twelve months of intense professional activity which will highlight the figure of the Canadian musical director.
The role of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the world of classical music, it was brought to the big screen. So you can learn more about his work and career in ‘Yannick, an artist’s journey‘, by Susan Froamke, produced by the MET. The director is closely linked to the world of cinema and was a director advisor on two films, including one with Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”, which tells the life of Leonard Bernstein. The other is “Happy Days”, where Sophie Desmarais plays a young director, a Canadian production by Chloé Robichaud.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin and his five Grammy Awards
He Canadian musician He studied piano, conducting, compassion and chamber music at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal, as well as choral conducting in New Jersey, at Westminster Choir College (in Princeton). He then continued his studies with Carlo Maria Giulini, a great Italian master, a group with whom he made his debut in Europe in 2004. He then formed his own orchestra and vocal ensemble, La Chapelle de Montréal.
Nézet-Séguin has been evolving in the world of music at the highest level for more than 20 years. To his credit he has five Grammy Awards: “Best Orchestral Performance” (2023), “Best Opera Recording” (2023), “Best Vocal Recording” (2023), “Best Opera Recording” (2024) and “Best Original Soundtrack for Visual Media” (2025). Added to this are other milestones, several artist of the year awards awarded by different organizations and he has eight honorary doctorates, including that of the University of Quebec in Montreal and that of Drexel University in Philadelphia.
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