A Star-Is-Born Moment? Young Conductor Jumps In For Yannick In Philly On Three Hours’ Notice

Kensho Watanabe, the 29-year-old assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, stepped in at the last minute on Saturday evening for suddenly-ill music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin – and reportedly brought the house down. With a Q&A, David Patrick Stearns introduces readers to Watanabe and gets the story of the fateful night.