Yannick Nézet-Séguin has emerged as the presiding conductor of the U.S. East Coast, simultaneously holding music directorships at the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera, in addition to leading the Orchestre Métropolitain in his native Montreal. Nézet-Séguin is noted for his upbeat, approachable air while gently championing lesser-known repertoire, whether the symphonies of Florence Price or the original French version of Verdi’s Don Carlos. Born in 1975, he studied at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec and Westminster Choir College, and went on to hold several positions in Canada, including a term as chorus master and assistant conductor of the Montreal Opera (1998-2002). A decade-long directorship at the Rotterdam Philharmonic concluded in 2018, just as his Met tenure got underway, two years ahead of schedule. At both the Met and the Philadelphia Orchestra (where he has been music director since 2012), Nézet-Séguin has pursued a forward-looking agenda, leading a series of commissioned works for the Philadelphia about climate change, and operas by Terence Blanchard at the Met, the first time that company has featured music by a Black composer.