Yannick – An Artist’s Journey

Premieres Friday, September 3 at 9 p.m. on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app

In 2018, young Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin stepped into one of the most high-profile roles in all of music: Music director of the Metropolitan Opera. Great Performances: Yannick – An Artist’s Journey follows Nézet-Séguin on his journey from 10-year-old budding conductor to the pinnacle of the opera world, capturing the creative process and what it means to refine the soul of an artist. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Susan Froemke (Great Performances: The Opera House), the cinema verité documentary explores the conductor’s roots through interviews with family members, early influences and colleagues, paired with home movies. Behind-the-scenes footage shows the maestro in rehearsal with Met Opera soprano Diana Damrau (“La Traviata”) and in coaching sessions with young artists like Gabriela Reyes. From the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal to the Met in New York City to The City of Brotherly Love with Philadelphia Orchestra, which Nézet-Séguin also directs, Great Performances follow this energetic artist as he delves ever more deeply into music and the artistic collaborations that sustain him. Great Performances: Yannick – An Artist’s Journey premieres Friday, September 3 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.

Noteworthy Facts:

• Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the third music director in the history of the Metropolitan Opera.
• As music director of the Met Opera, he has conducted four recent episodes of Great Performances at the Met and also appeared in Great Performances: Beethoven in Beijing.
• Having developed a fascination with religion and art at a very young age, Nézet-Séguin decided that he was destined to become Pope before deciding to become a conductor and devote his life to music.
• The documentary is bookended by scenes capturing the final weeks of the Met’s 2018–19 season as Nézet-Séguin leads his cast in a performance of Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites” into which he incorporates his own religious connections and encourages the artists to follow suit.

Series Overview:
Throughout its nearly 50-year history on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details). Great Performances is produced by The WNET Group.

Production Credits:
A Susan Froemke Production, Yannick – An Artist’s Journey is directed by Susan Froemke and produced by Susan Froemke and Peter Gelb; Mia Bongiovanni and Alexandra Eastman are Executive Producers.

Underwriters:
Support for Yannick – An Artist’s Journey was provided by Louise, Sophie and André Desmarais. Series funding for Great Performances was also made possible byThe Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, Jody and John Arnhold, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, The Starr Foundation, the Seton J. Melvin, the Estate of Worthington Mayo-Smith, Ellen and James S. Marcus.

Websites: http://pbs.org/gperf, facebook.com/GreatPerformances, @GPerfPBS, giphy.com/great-performances, youtube.com/greatperformancespbs #GreatPerformancesPBS