As Yannick Nézet-Séguin prepares to assume his full scope of responsibilities as musical director at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2020–2021 season, the maestro also has his sights set across the pond. The conductor will take the podium in a European tour with the Met Orchestra, the first international tour for the company in nearly 20 years.

The tour will kick off June 29, 2021, at the Barbican Centre in London, followed by performances June 30 and July 1 at the Philharmonie de Paris and July 3 and July 4 at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Germany.

The London concert will feature mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (currently starring in the Met's Agrippina) singing selections from Brlioz's Les Troyens; she'll reprise the program (also featuring the composer's Symphonie fantastique) in France July 1 and in Germany July 3. The remaining two performances will present Strauss' Don Juan, Missy Mazzoli's Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), and the first act of Wagner's Die Walküre with soprano Christine Goerke, tenor Brandon Jovanovich, and bass Günther Groissböck.

“This is a major milestone in the Met’s recent history. I am very grateful for the music we make all season long at the Met, and I cannot wait to have European audiences experience the Met Orchestra’s brilliant artistry in person. And what better way to celebrate their excellence than to bring along dear friends Joyce, Christine, Brandon, and Günther as collaborators?” said Nézet-Séguin. “I am proud that the Met is continuing to reach audiences beyond Lincoln Center. This European tour is the perfect capstone to the coming season.”