Yannick Nézet-Séguin creates new conducting mentorship program with Rolex
The Philadelphia Orchestra's chief is starting a “one-year finishing school” for emerging talent.
The Philadelphia Orchestra music’s and artistic director is teaming up with luxury watch brand Rolex to cultivate new conducting talent. The Yannick Nézet-Séguin Mentorship Program was created by Nézet-Séguin “to address the shortage of opportunities for early-career conductors to gain real experience on the podium, while instilling in them the leadership values that have defined his own career: collaborative leadership, authenticity, inclusivity, and kindness,” according to an announcement Friday.
Nézet-Séguin wasn’t available to speak about the new program, but his manager, Ben Spalter, said the program is intended as a kind of “one-year finishing school” for conductors who have already completed their formal education and have emerging careers.
“Hopefully this will elevate their abilities to get them to that next level,” Spalter said.
The program involves musical groups with which Nézet-Séguin has relationships. Through an application process, four conductors will be chosen for workshops in early 2027 — first with the Philadelphia Orchestra on symphonic repertoire, then with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and singers from the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Two of the four conductors will be selected for a yearlong mentorship from September 2027 to the following August. Each will receive a stipend of $1,800 per week — roughly what they might receive as “cover” (or understudy) conductors with other orchestras, said Spalter — with the expectation of spending a minimum of 12 weeks with Nézet-Séguin during the year.
The two conductors will “join him at every orchestra he conducts around the world,” Friday’s announcement said, and will participate in four conducting workshops with the program’s partners: Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Met Opera Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
In addition to watching the emerging conductors in workshops with the ensembles and offering his musical observations, Nézet-Séguin will let in the two conductors on some other aspects of the profession.
“We did the math, and even though he is 51, if you take into account his seasons as music director of an institution, it goes to well over 70 years” at the Met and orchestras in Montreal, Philadelphia, Rotterdam, and elsewhere, said Spalter. The new mentorship program is designed to provide exposure to parts of the profession that are often hard to experience firsthand, like personnel matters, marketing, talking with board members, and working with orchestra musicians’ committees.
The music management firm with which Nézet-Séguin has a relationship, Askonas Holt, will offer management to the conductors, “including regular meetings and high-level career oversight,” Friday’s announcement said.
Rolex is the program’s founding sponsor, and other funders are being sought, said Spalter.
Nézet-Séguin has a preexisting association with Rolex as a “testimonee” since 2024, and appears in the watch company’s advertisements.
Spalter says the conductor sometimes wears a Rolex when he conducts, sometimes not.
“I can’t imagine him wearing that extra weight for Parsifal for six hours.”
The program is open to early-career conductors who have completed their formal studies and demonstrated “exceptional musical ability.” Candidates may apply by submitting conducting videos, a resumé, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, a headshot, and a short biography to mentorship@yannicknezetseguin.com by November 15.
