Yannick Nézet-Séguin Receives Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Conservatory of Music

One of the most lauded conductors of his generation, Canadian Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin has received the highest designation conferred by The Royal Conservatory of Music – on April 17, 2024 he was inducted as an Honorary Fellow (FRCMT) of the organization.

 Mr. Nézet-Séguin accepted the Honorary Fellowship after conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra’s sold out Koerner Hall debut, as part of the Conservatory’s International Orchestra Series, in which they performed Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4 and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.

“It is an honour to be recognized in my home country by The Royal Conservatory of Music, a renowned institution that has had a transformative influence on music education in Canada,” said Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “This fellowship is also meaningful to me because my mother and father devoted their lives to higher education. As a Fellow, I feel even more connected to my family and to their vocations.” 

“Honorary Fellowships are conferred upon individuals who have had a profound impact on society through music and the arts. Yannick’s extraordinary and wide ranging musical activities inspire millions of people throughout the world and bring the great beauty and meaning of our art form into their lives. Yannick’s work extends also into music education and his work with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra remains a memorable experience for the students who had the privilege of participating in that exciting musical journey,” remarked Dr. Peter Simon, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is currently in his 12th season with The Philadelphia Orchestra, serving as Music and Artistic Director. An inspired leader, Mr. Nézet-Séguin is both an evolutionary and a revolutionary, developing the mighty “Philadelphia Sound” in new ways. His collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. More recently, he was the conducting consultant for Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, a Netflix film about cultural icon Leonard Bernstein.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin became the third Music Director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2018 and in 2017, he became an honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000 and, with that orchestra, he has performed twice in Koerner Hall (2015 and 2018). He served as music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 2008 to 2018 (he is now honorary conductor) and was principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic from 2008 to 2014. In 2018, he signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Under his leadership The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with 13 releases on that label, including Florence Price Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3, which won a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2022.

A native of Montreal, Mr. Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at Montreal’s Conservatory of Music and continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini; he also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College.

Among his many honours are an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada, Companion to the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec, an Officer of the Order of Montreal, an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; Musical America’s 2016 Artist of the Year; and eight honorary doctorates. Mr. Nézet-Séguin was originally named as an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory in 2020, but the event at which he was to receive his diploma was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Photo credit: The Philadelphia Orchestra/Lisa Sakulensky

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