3 conductors will fill in for ailing Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Philadelphia Orchestra world premiere

Thursdays premiere of John Luther Adams’ "Vespers of the Blessed Earth" in Verizon Hall will mark the conducting debut of Donald Nally, leader of the Crossing choir.

Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin speaks to the audience from the stage at Verizon Hall on opening night for the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center Oct. 5, 2021,Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

by Peter Dobrin

Published March 30, 2023, 2:04 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is sick and will not lead world-premiere performances of a new work by John Luther Adams in Verizon Hall and Carnegie Hall.

In his place, three conductors will split the podium over the next several days.

Thursday’s premiere performance of Adams’ Vespers of the Blessed Earth in Verizon Hall now will mark the unexpected Philadelphia Orchestra conducting debut of Donald Nally, leader of the Crossing choir, which is performing the piece with the orchestra. He will also conduct the Adams work in Carnegie Hall on Friday night and in two Philadelphia performances this weekend.

Marin Alsop is conducting the second half of the program — Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring — Thursday in Philadelphia and Friday in New York.

Orchestra conducting fellow Austin Chanu will make his subscription debut leading the Stravinsky in the two remaining concerts, Saturday and Sunday in Verizon Hall.

An orchestra spokesperson said that she did not know what Nézet-Séguin’s illness was and that the conductor had not been present to lead rehearsals of the piece this week.