The Met announces the North American premiere of Yannick: An Artist’s Journey
Filmmaker Susan Froemke’s new documentary explores Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s inspiring path from young would-be conductor to Met Music Director
The film has its release in U.S. cinemas Wednesday, July 7
The documentary precedes Summer Encore screenings of past Live in HD presentations, in select cinemas beginning Wednesday, July 14, in the U.S.
Tickets on sale now in the U.S.
New York, NY (May 28, 2021)—The Metropolitan Opera announced today the premiere of Yannick: An Artist’s Journey, a new documentary by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, about the inspiring path of Yannick Nézet-Séguin to becoming the Met’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director. The documentary will screen in over 600 select U.S. cinemas on Wednesday, July 7. As movie theaters reopen, the Met has also announced the schedule for its 2021 Summer Encore series in the U.S., which will feature rebroadcasts of popular operas from the company’s acclaimed Live in HD series of cinema presentations.
Yannick: An Artist’s Journey follows Maestro Nézet-Séguin on his journey from young conductor to being named the third music director in Met history. The documentary features extraordinary, vivid home movies, recorded by Nézet-Séguin’s family while he was growing up in Montreal, which capture the artistic curiosity and sheer talent of a child who was fascinated by art and religion, until an epiphany led him to devote his life to music. In addition to interviews with family, mentors, colleagues, and the maestro himself, the film also shows revealing behind-the-scenes footage of Nézet-Séguin in rehearsals, highlighting his musical homes in Montreal, Philadelphia, and New York. The cameras follow the energetic artist as he prepares for a new production of Verdi’s La Traviata during the Met’s 2018–19 season, which marked his first performances as Met Music Director. The film is bookended by the final weeks of that season, with Nézet-Séguin preparing and leading a transcendent interpretation of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. This production reflects Nézet-Séguin’s musical sensitivity, collaborative spirit, and religious background, providing a stirring framework for a film that explores one’s artistic inspirations and ideals.
The film is directed by Susan Froemke, whose documentaries include the Oscar-nominated LaLee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton, as well as previous collaborations with the Met such as The Audition, Wagner’s Dream, and The Opera House.
This film is made possible thanks to the generosity of Louise, Sophie, and André Desmarais, in memory of their mother, Jacqueline Desmarais, and to underscore her love of music.
The release of Yannick: An Artist’s Journey precedes the Met’s Summer Encores, which will feature popular rebroadcasts from the company’s groundbreaking Live in HD series in select cinemas. The Summer Encore titles in the United States are the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Bizet’s Carmen, and Puccini’s Tosca. Screening dates in the U.S. are listed below along with detailed cast and opera information. Encore titles and screening dates internationally will vary.
Yannick: An Artist’s Journey and the Summer Encores will be shown in more than 600 cinemas nationwide. To find a theater and purchase tickets, visit metopera.org/TheaterFinder. Select Canadian cinemas will also screen Yannick: An Artist’s Journey from July 2.
Please check your local cinema website for the most up-to-date information about their health and safety measures.
2021 Summer Encore Cinema Schedule in the United States
The Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS: July 14, 2021, 1pm and 6:30pm local time
During the 2019–20 season, one of America’s greatest operas returned to the Met stage for the first time in 30 years, with the premiere of James Robinson’s vibrant new production. Bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Angel Blue starred in the title roles, headlining a phenomenal ensemble cast. The HD performance also features soprano Golda Schultz and bass-baritone Donovan Singletary as Clara and Jake, soprano Latonia Moore as Serena, and tenor Frederick Ballentine and bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Sportin’ Life and Crown. And as the community matriarch Maria, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves delivers a scene-stealing performance. David Robertson conducts the Gershwins’ beloved score, which includes a number of melodies that have become classic American standards. Transmitted live on February 1, 2020.
CARMEN: July 28, 2021, 1pm and 6:30pm local time
Richard Eyre’s stunning production of Bizet’s opera stars mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the unforgettable gypsy of the title—a woman desired by every man but determined to remain true to herself. Tenor Roberto Alagna is Don José, the soldier who falls under her spell and sacrifices everything for her love, only to be cast aside when the toreador Escamillo (bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes) piques Carmen’s interest. Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and with dances created by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, this Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s tale to thrilling life. Transmitted live on January 16, 2010.
TOSCA: August 4, 2021, 1pm and 6:30pm local time
Sir David McVicar’s bold staging of Puccini’s operatic thriller, set in Napoleonic Rome, thrilled Met audiences in the 2018–19 season. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva is the passionate title diva, opposite tenor Vittorio Grigolo as her lover, the idealistic painter Mario Cavaradossi. Baritone Željko Lučić is the menacing Baron Scarpia, the evil chief of police who employs brutal tactics to ensnare both criminal and sexual conquests. Emmanuel Villaume conducts the electrifying score, which features some of Puccini’s most memorable melodies. Transmitted live on January 27, 2018.
The highly anticipated 2021–22 Live in HD season opens on October 9, 2021 with Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and continues with Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones (October 23, 2021), Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice (December 4, 2021), Massenet’s Cinderella (January 1, 2022), Verdi’s Rigoletto (January 29, 2022), Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (March 12, 2022), Verdi’s Don Carlos (March 26, 2022), Puccini’s Turandot (May 7, 2022), Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (May 21, 2022), and Brett Dean’s Hamlet (June 4, 2022). Ticketing on-sale dates for the 2021–22 Live in HD season will be announced later this summer.
The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met: Live in HD series is supported by Rolex. The HD broadcasts are supported by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®.
For more information about Live in HD, visit metopera.org/HDlive.