The Orchestre National de Jazz was created by France’s Ministry of Culture in 1986. This prestigious institution is unique in its genre : in three decades the ONJ has been the bearer of 12 different orchestral projects, conducted by 11 successive artistic and musical directors for the duration of their mandates. In that time, the Orchestra has welcomed to its ranks no fewer than 180 soloists and recorded 30 albums. In the course of its history the ONJ has played a large part in the institutional and cultural legitimization of jazz, notably in offering a vast panorama of newly created works not only in France but also abroad, where the ONJ has been, and continues to be, a strong symbol.

Today, under the leadership of guitarist and composer Frédéric Maurin, the ONJ has undertaken an ambitious project with a mission that has broadened and diversified to cover several domains – new creations, the promotion of music through cultural and educational actions — and at the same time accompany emerging fields while enriching the cultural heritage. In implementing those missions, the ONJ continues to demonstrate its openness and its readiness to share its resources in the service of jazz and all its diversity.