'That made, obviously, the strongest and most inspiring impression because, you know, I'm still here and conducted that piece - that very piece - for many important debuts,' he said. It was the first orchestral concert he ever attended. When Nézet-Séguin was about eight or nine, he asked his parents to buy tickets to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra to see a performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony, conducted by Zubin Mehta. (François Goupil and the Orchestre Métropolitain) Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony has played an important role in his life and career And I don't want to be restrained or restricted with my gestures,’ said Nézet-Séguin. ‘I need, as a conductor, to express physically what I think about the music and to embody the music.

So that's why I'm also taking care of my body and taking care of what I eat.' 'And I don't want to be restrained or restricted with my gestures. 'I need, as a conductor, to express physically what I think about the music and to embody the music,' he said. The maestro compared his work to that of an athlete who must train to avoid injury. I had no arms left I had no shoulders left I had no water in my body left because I was sweating so much,' he recalled with a laugh. 'After those 12 minutes, I just had no back left. Nézet-Séguin still has a clear memory of the first orchestral piece he ever conducted at age 21: Tragic Overture by Johannes Brahms. He trains like an athlete because conducting is 'very physical'

Here are six things we learned along the way. In a feature interview with Q's Tom Power, Nézet-Séguin reflected on his meteoric rise. He's the music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor-for-life at Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain and only the third music director in the 139-year history of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Today, he's heralded as a classical music superstar, both at home and internationally. Montreal's Yannick Nézet-Séguin was 21 when he conducted his first orchestra, but only 10 when he set his sights on becoming a conductor. Click the play button above to hear Yannick Nézet-Séguin's full conversation with Tom Power.

Metropolitan opera conductor