Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will remain at the helm of the Philadelphia Orchestra for another decade – one expected to feature local, national and international milestones.

By the time Nézet-Séguin completes his tenure through the 2025-26 season, he will have been music director for 14 years (2012-26), the third longest reign of musical leadership after legendary conductors Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski, said an orchestra press release announcing his commitment.

Nézet-Séguin’s vision for the future will include innovative programing for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 125th anniversary in 2025 and citywide music-making for the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026. Uniquely compelling concepts are also in the works for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth (2020). Nearer to hand are the scheduled 2017 performances of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, both in Philadelphia and Carnegie Hall, and projected performances of Puccini’s Tosca in 2018, plus a list of further diverse opera titles that feature rich orchestral scores, the release said.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s extraordinary leadership in place for the next decade,” said Allison Vulgamore, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s president and CEO, said in the release. “The Philadelphia Orchestra is flourishing under his direction, and this new extension reflects his fervent commitment to Philadelphia and all we have achieved together and will achieve in the future. His relationships with the musicians, our audiences, and throughout the community are bringing joy to us all, drawing in new listeners and building connections throughout the city.”

The maestro will divide his duties during part of that period with the Metropolitan Opera, which announced that Nézet-Séguin will also serve as its music director, effective with the start of the 2020-21 season.

“I never imagined that I could live the dream of having the legendary and magnificent Philadelphia Orchestra in my life, so it is with great joy that I extend my commitment to be present on Philadelphia’s podium for at least another 10 years,” Nézet-Séguin said in the release. “I have well over a decade’s worth of ideas to bring to the stage and into the community, and I look forward to growing even more connected to this extraordinarily musical city. Now, becoming music director of the premier and most extraordinary Metropolitan Opera is double the dream. To have the chance to make music with both these amazing institutions was irresistible to me. I am, without doubt, the luckiest music director in the world today.”

Named Musical America’s 2016 Artist of the Year, Nézet-Séguin has led the Philadelphia Orchestra on three international tours in the first four years of his music directorship, enhancing the global scope of the orchestra’s work, and with many other resounding artistic achievements in such a short time. Through his community engagement and successes, he is rooting himself ever more deeply into Philadelphia, and making vital, unique connections with audiences. Among the events marking his commitment to Philadelphia, a commission by Tod Machover, featuring different “voices” from the community, is planned within the next few seasons, the release said.

“The Philadelphia Orchestra could not be in better artistic hands. We are absolutely delighted with Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s leadership and his work in the community,” Chairman of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association Board of Directors Richard B. Worley said in the release.

David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, expressed similar sentiments. “Today I am full of excitement and gratitude at the announcement of Yannick’s far-reaching commitment to The Philadelphia Orchestra,” he said n the release. “With our partnership cemented deep into the future, we now joyfully continue our work together, thriving on the magic that so palpably lives within the musicians of the orchestra, our ardent audiences at home and around the world, and our beloved music director.”

 

 

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