By McGill Reporter Staff
McGill will present Montreal-born conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin with an honorary degree. The University’s highest honour will be presented to Maestro Nézet-Séguin on May 14, at 3 p.m., at the Maison symphonique de Montréal, 1600 rue Saint-Urbain.
“By conferring our highest honour on this exceptional individual, McGill is recognizing the achievements and talents that have won him international acclaim. The University is also celebrating his deep commitment to Quebec society, and the way music brings people together,” says Professor Suzanne Fortier, Principal of McGill. “Balancing a strong attachment to his Montreal roots with the aspiration to shine on the international scene, he is an inspiration to everyone in the McGill community.”
An important name on the Quebec cultural scene, Maestro Nézet-Séguin has served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000. In 2017-2018, he will complete his tenth and final season with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. He has been Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012. In 2020-2021, he will succeed James Levine as the third Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition and chamber music at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal, and choral conducting at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey before going on to study with renowned conductors, most notably the Italian maestro Carlo Maria Giulini.
His honours include Musical America’s Artist of the Year (2016), Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada’s National Arts Centre Award, the Prix Denise-Pelletier awarded by the Quebec government, and the Medal of Honour from the National Assembly of Quebec (2015). He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec in Montreal (2011), Curtis Institute in Philadelphia (2014) and Westminster Choir College of Rider University (2015). He has received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (2015). He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada (2012) and Officer of the Order of Québec (2015).