Since its founding in 1981, the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal (OM) has had but one mission: to share its passion for symphonic music and make it accessible to all. Building on its special relationship with audiences, the quality of its concerts, and its many recordings, the OM has made a place for itself, in the process becoming one of Quebec’s leading cultural ambassadors and acquiring an enviable international reputation. At the orchestra’s helm for the last two decades, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has developed an exceptional rapport with his musicians. In September 2019, the OM announced the lifetime extension of his contract, a rare commitment for such a young conductor and an orchestra not founded by him.

Each year, the Orchestre Métropolitain performs approximately 50 concerts at the Maison symphonique de Montréal and in a dozen of the city’s boroughs through the Conseil des arts de Montréal Touring Program. In the summer of 2019, more than 35,000 music lovers attended a free outdoor concert performed at the foot of Mount Royal, while more than double that number were welcomed during the OM’s entire summer season. The orchestra also stands apart through the vitality of its OM for Schools and OM for Future Talent programs. In addition, it works closely with other performing arts organizations, most notably as the Opéra de Montréal’s main orchestra.

The recipient of numerous national awards, the Orchestre Métropolitain owes its international reputation largely to the approximately 20 recordings it has made for the Canadian ATMA Classique label. Published in the spring of 2018 to critical acclaim, its complete Bruckner symphony cycle is proof of the orchestra’s daring as well as its excellence. The OM’s collaboration with the Deutsche Grammophon label began in 2017, first with tenor Rolando Villazón and bass Ildar Abdrazakov on a disc titled Duets, then for Verdi, a solo album with the latter artist. The OM is also the subject of Ensemble, a 2018 documentary film by Jean-Nicolas Orhon that has been screened at many festivals.

In November 2019, following the success of its highly lauded 2017 European tour, the OM embarks on a tour of four US cities—Chicago, Ann Arbor, New York, and Philadelphia—with Yannick and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. In fall 2020, the orchestra celebrates its 40th season.

Artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal since 2000, Yannick Nézet-Séguin is also music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera. In 2016–2017, he joined Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Bernard Haitink to become an honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. After his 10-year tenure with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, he was named honorary conductor.

Yannick has worked regularly with many leading European ensembles, enjoying close collaborations with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was principal guest conductor from 2008 to 2014. His interpretations have been acclaimed in many of the world’s most famous opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, La Scala (Milan), and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as well as in renowned concert halls that include Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Carnegie Hall, where, as a Perspectives artist during the 2019–2020 season, he presents a nine-concert series. In September 2019, on the cusp of his 20th season with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Yannick announced the renewal for life of his contract with the orchestra, an open-ended commitment based on mutual trust.

Yannick records exclusively for the Deutsche Grammophon label while continuing his role in the collaborative partnership between ATMA Classique and the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. His honors include Musical America’s 2016 Artist of the Year award, a Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, Canada’s National Arts Centre Award (Ottawa), the Prix Denise-Pelletier awarded by the government of Quebec, the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly of Quebec, and the Oskar Morawetz Award.

Yannick holds honorary doctorates from the Université du Québec à Montréal (2011), Curtis Institute of Music (2014), Rider University (2015), McGill University (2017), Université de Montréal (2017), and University of Pennsylvania (2018). He has been made a Companion of the Order of Canada (2012), Companion of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (2015), Officer of the Ordre National du Québec (2015), and Officer of the Ordre de Montréal (2017). Visit yannicknezetseguin.com for more information.

A multiple Grammy Award winner and the 2018 Olivier Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, Kansas-born mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato charms audiences around the globe. She has soared to the top of the industry both as a performer and as a fierce advocate for the arts, gaining international prominence in operas by Handel and Mozart, as well as through her wide-ranging, acclaimed discography. She is also distinguished for the bel canto roles of Rossini and Donizetti.

Ms. DiDonato’s 2019–2020 season includes her staged debut as Agrippina in a new production at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; her return to the Metropolitan Opera as Agrippina and Charlotte in Werther; and performances as Semiramide at the Liceu in Barcelona. She is a Carnegie Hall 2019–2020 Perspectives artist, with appearances that include a recital with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a chamber music concert titled Joyce DiDonato and Friends, a Baroque-inspired program titled My Favorite Things with Il Pomo d’Oro, and live-streamed master classes. Also with Il Pomo d’Oro, she performs her album In War & Peace on tour in South America and in Washington, DC, and embarks on a European and US tour of My Favorite Things. Other highlights include a tour with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal under Mr. Nézet-Séguin; a European tour performing her latest album, Songplay; and recorded concerts of Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with John Nelson and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg.

Ms. DiDonato is an exclusive Erato / Warner Classics recording artist. Her award-winning discography includes Les Troyens, which in 2018 won the Recording (Complete Opera) category at the International Opera Awards, the Opera Award at the BBC Music Magazine Awards, and Gramophone’s Recording of the Year. Other recent albums include Songplay; In War & Peace (winner of a 2017 Gramophone Award); Stella di Napoli; her Grammy Award–winning Diva, Divo; and Drama Queens. Other honors include Gramophone’s Artist of the Year and Recital of the Year awards, and induction into the Gramophone Hall of Fame.