Yannick: An Artist’s Journey

EVENT DESCRIPTION

“The greatest generator of energy on the international podium”
— THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Artist of the Year 2016
— MUSICAL AMERICA

The Metropolitan Opera presents YANNICK: AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY, a feature-length documentary by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke that profiles the Met’s Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Following the maestro’s inspiring journey from ten-year-old budding conductor to the pinnacle of the opera world, the film captures the alchemy of the creative process and explores what it means to refine the soul of an artist.

Upon presentation of valid membership card of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Bravo or any MCL ticket/ ticket stub of “Looking Back: 12 Years of the MET: Live in HD in Hong Kong” at ticketing box office(s), enjoy a 10%-off ticket discount on regular-priced ticket(s) of Yannick: An Artist’s Journey, bought in person at the box offices of the screening cinema(s). A maximum of 4 discounted tickets can be purchased per transaction at box office.

*The discount offer applies to box office ticketing only.

*With post-screening sharing session (English):

Guest speaker, HK Phil Resident Conductor Mr. Lio Kuokman will be sharing his experiences in becoming a conductor and some anecdotes from his time serving as Assistant Conductor to Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin at The Philadelphia Orchestra.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Hailed as a child prodigy, Canadian born conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin started to learn music when he was five years old. At only nineteen years old, he has been invited by the famous Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini to rehearsals and performances. At twenty years old, Nézet-Séguin was already performing with some of the major orchestras in Canada. Blessed with an immense talent, Nézet-Séguin was hired in major positions by many leading performing arts institutes at a very young age: at twenty five years old, he was hired as the Music Director of Orchestre Métropolitain; at thirty five years old, he became the Principal Conductor of Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra; at thirty seven years old, he was named as the Music Director of Philadelphia Orchestra.

Nézet-Séguin made his company debut at the Met in 2009 with Bizet’s Carmen, which was highly praised by critics and audiences alike. Since his debut, Nézet-Séguin returned every season, conducting over one hundred performances and numerous galas. In 2018, he became the third Music Director of The Met at only forty-three years old, with La Traviata as his debut in that position.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is one of the best conductors in the classical music scene today. His passion in conducting and innovation in programming has made him a well-loved artist among peers, critics, and audience alike. The Financial Times claimed him as “The greatest generator of energy on the international podium”. In 2016, he was chosen by Musical America, one of the oldest American classical music magazines, as Artist of the Year. In the same year, he also visited Hong Kong with Philadelphia Orchestra, where local audiences were able to experience his music genius.

About the Director

Susan Froemke is a non-fiction filmmaker with more than thirty documentaries to her credit, from the classic Grey Gardens (1976) to Lalee’s Kin (2001), a HBO film on poverty which was nominated for an Academy Award. She was the principal filmmaker at legendary Maysles Films in New York for more than two decades. She has long been a disciple of direct cinema, a style of filmmaking pioneered in the 1960s by the Maysles Brothers. Like cinema verité in France, direct cinema presents the drama of real life as it unfolds before the camera with minimal intervention.

Froemke and Peter Gelb, the current General Manager of the Met, have been collaborating on music documentary films since 1985, beginning with “Ozawa”, a look at the life of conductor Seiji Ozawa. Their latest collaboration includes The Opera House (2018), which tells the history of the Met from 39th street to Lincoln Center.