An ambassador of French music, L'Orchestre National de Lille has committed to sharing classical music through community outreach and performing throughout France and abroad. The orchestra regularly invites guest performers and conductors from throughout the world and has issued more than 30 recordings. L'Orchestre National de Lille was founded as the Orchestre philharmonique de Lille in 1976, giving its first concert in January of that year. The orchestra's founding followed the dissolvement of the Orchestre de l'ORTF de Lille in 1974. Its founding came through an agreement between the government of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and its first music director, conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus. The orchestra took its current name in 1980 after it received government sponsorship. The ONL has performed throughout the region since its inception, visiting more than 250 communes in Hauts-de-France, in addition to its regular concert schedule at the Auditorium du Nouveau Siècle, the orchestra's permanent home. Casadesus remained in his role as the music director until 2016, when Alexandre Bloch took over the position. In 2018, Bloch's contract was extended until 2024. The ONL has recorded for the Alpha, Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, and Naxos labels, among others. The main recording output of the orchestra has been on the standard French repertoire, including recordings of works by Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and Offenbach. The ONL has also recorded non-French works, including albums of music by Mahler and Strauss. The ONL had a pair of releases on Alpha in 2019: Chausson's Poème de l'Amour et de la Mer and Symphonie Op. 20 and an album of music by Ravel and Benjamin Attahir. In 2020, the ONL accompanied Marie Oppert on her album Enchantée. Along with its busy performing and recording schedule, the ONL has also built several outreach programs catering to children and students, as well as dedicated workshops for people with disabilities. ~ Keith Finke