Yannick Nézet-Séguin to Conduct Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year Concert

For the first time, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Concert on Jan. 1, the program of waltzes, polkas, marches and mazurkas that some 50 million people worldwide watch each year.

Nézet-Séguin, 50, is music director of the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra and artistic director of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal. He is noted in the article for an unconventional personal style — bleached‑blond hair, custom jackets in bright, sparkly patterns and occasional nail polish — and is making a noteworthy addition to the Vienna program with Florence Price’s "Rainbow Waltz."

He will wear a custom outfit by Louis Vuitton styled by his husband, the violist Pierre Tourville, which will be “traditional with a twist,” the conductor said in a recent phone interview; that interview has been edited and condensed.

The article also reports that Nézet-Séguin has used his platforms to broaden programming at the Met to include women and composers of diverse backgrounds, and he is quoted as saying the Met has "never been better."

Key Topics

Culture, Yannick Nézet-séguin, Vienna Philharmonic, Florence Price, Metropolitan Opera, Louis Vuitton