News

YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN & LONG YU SIGN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS WITH DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

On 30 May, it was announced that Yannick Nézet-Séguin has signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The Montreal-born conductor, hailed by the Financial Times as the “greatest generator of energy on the international podium”, first appeared on the yellow label nearly 10 years ago for DVD recordings of Roméo et Juliette (Salzburg Festival 2008) and Carmen (Metropolitan Opera 2010), and began a long-term collaboration in 2012.

Future plans on the label include the next instalment of his late Mozart opera cycle, to be released this summer: La clemenza di Tito with Joyce DiDonato, Rolando Villazón and Adam Plachetka.

Coinciding with the announcement, and with Yannick’s final concerts as Chief Conductor in Rotterdam, DG have released a 6-CD set of previously unissued live recordings with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, hand-picked by Yannick.

Long Yu with DG President Dr Clemens Trautmann © Stefan Hoderath/Universal Music

Just a week later, the label announced an exclusive contract with Long Yu, China’s pre-eminent conductor on the international scene, and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

The new partnership is set to build on Long’s critically acclaimed work as Music Director of the SSO and help promote the orchestra’s powerful blend of tradition and ambitious future vision. It will also enhance the SSO’s “Music Connecting Worlds” ethos. Since his appointment a decade ago, Long has steered the SSO to new heights of artistic excellence, helping it to attract many world-class musicians to its ranks.

Their first DG recording, an album of works from the Chinese and Russian repertoires, will be released in 2019 to mark the SSO’s 140th anniversary.

It was also announced that Long and the SSO will kick off DG’s 120th anniversary celebrations this year, with a concert in Beijing’s famous Forbidden City.

Long’s previous releases on Deutsche Grammophon include Lang Lang’s Dragon Songs, and a recording of Chinese orchestral works.

NEW SIGNINGS

We are delighted to welcome three exceptionally talented musicians to our roster for general management: contralto Avery Amereau, and conductors Nuno Coelho and Finnegan Downie Dear.

Avery Amereau © Matilde Fasso

Described as “a rarity in music” and “an extraordinary American alto on the rise” by the New York Times, Avery has already amassed an impressive list of career accolades, including her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2016 as the Madrigal Singer in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, aged just 25.

Avery studied at Juilliard, where she was the proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship and the Shoshana Foundation 2017 Richard F Gold Career Grant. Exceptional in baroque repertoire, she performed with the school’s historical performance department under conductors including William Christie and Maasaki Suzuki, and sang at Bachfest Leipzig and the Boston Early Music Festival.

Future engagements include debuts with Salzburg Festival, Opera de Lille, Tokyo Symphony and BBC, plus a return to Glyndebourne.

Represented by Sue Spence, Camilla Wehmeyer & Natasha Worsley

Nuno Coelho © Sebastian Wagner

Portuguese conductor Nuno was awarded First Prize at the Cadaqués International Conducting Competition in 2017, winning him engagements with over thirty major orchestras in Europe, Asia and South America over the next three seasons.

He has worked extensively with the Orquestra Gulbenkian, and the 2018/19 season will see him further develop this relationship in the official role of Guest Conductor, leading subscription concerts and tours.

Recent engagements include concerts with Sinfonieorchester Basel, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Kammerorchester Basel; while forthcoming highlights include dates with the Ulster Orchestra, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia and Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur.

Represented by Antonio Orlando & Gaetan Le Divelec

Finnegan Downie Dear © Frank Bloedhorn

Finnegan studied at Cambridge University and at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating from both with distinction. He subsequently worked as an assistant conductor, repetiteur and coach for some of the world’s foremost opera companies, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper and the Salzburg Festival. Concert appearances include with the RTÉ Concert and Dartington Festival Orchestras and Shadwell Ensemble.

He is Music Director of the awardwinning Shadwell Opera, and this season made debuts with both Polish National Opera, conducting an award-winning production of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, and Scottish Opera, leading a critically acclaimed production of Mark- Anthony Turnage’s Greek.

Represented by Henry Lindsay & Gaetan Le Divelec