Orchestre National de Lille
Orchestre National de Lille / Lille National orchestra
Musical Director : Joshua Weilerstein
Born from the joint efforts of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, which became Hauts-de-France, the State, and Jean-Claude Casadesus, the Lille National Orchestra gave its first concert in January 1976. Since then, it has established itself as a reference orchestra, defending excellence and reaching out to diverse audiences, thus enriching the musical landscape of over 250 towns in Hauts-de-France. As a true ambassador of its region and French culture, it has been invited to perform in more than 30 countries across four continents.
Musical Director : Joshua Weilerstein
Born from the joint efforts of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, which became Hauts-de-France, the State, and Jean-Claude Casadesus, the Lille National Orchestra gave its first concert in January 1976. Since then, it has established itself as a reference orchestra, defending excellence and reaching out to diverse audiences, thus enriching the musical landscape of over 250 towns in Hauts-de-France. As a true ambassador of its region and French culture, it has been invited to perform in more than 30 countries across four continents.
In 2016, Alexandre Bloch was appointed Musical Director and has distinguished himself with his infectious energy. Today, consisting of 100 musicians, the Lille National Orchestra continues its ambitious project focused on symphonic music under its new Musical Director, Joshua Weilerstein. Staying loyal to its mission of dissemination, the LNO performs both the great repertoire and contemporary music by welcoming resident composers. To reach a wider audience and promote diversity among its listeners, it offers innovative formats and a broad range of initiatives to engage its audience.
The LNO is developing a dynamic audiovisual policy through its digital studio. Since October 2020, the Orchestra has created its own digital concert hall, Audito 2.0. Each season, streaming concerts are broadcasted for free. This ambitious policy was recognized with an Innovation Award from Radio Classique in March 2023.
The latest releases include several critically acclaimed works from Pentatone, La Buissonne, Evidence Classics, and Naxos. Among the seven recordings released by Alpha Classics, La Voix humaine with Véronique Gens and So Romantique! with Cyrille Dubois have received numerous awards; and more recently, the album Bartók with Amihai Grosz was chosen as Editor's Choice by the English magazine Gramophone.
The Lille National Orchestra is an association funded by the Ministry of Culture, the Hauts-de-France regional council, the Lille European Metropolis, and the City of Lille.