Tour Dates: 28 Dec, 2012 - 8 Jan, 2013

The Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL ) came into being in 1971. 114 members of ONPL were recruited by competitions throughout France.

Tour Dates: 28 Dec, 2012 - 8 Jan, 2013

The Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL ) came into being in 1971. 114 members of ONPL were recruited by competitions throughout France. It gave its first concert with Pierre Dervaux, the OPPL's first music director, conducting.

The orchestra toured to Romania, Bulgaria and Poland in 1979, and made its first visit to London in 1980. When entering the 1990's, the ONPL began to perform diverse music other than French music only under the leadership of subsequent music director Huber Soudant. This brought more audiences to the orchestra, which also promoted the ONPL to the "National Orchestra" in 1996.

Today, the ONPL has nearly ten thousand fans. It holds 200 perfomances each year, and attracts 200,000 people watch live, which becomes one of the most popular orchestras.

John Axelrod

Diverse programs and attractive leadership qualities made John Axelrod one of the best conductors in contemporary classical music, and respected by many orchestra around the world.

After a successful five -year tenure as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonie Orchester and Theater, Axelrod was elected in April 2009, to become music director of ONPL. The unanimous decision followed highly successful concerts and the sensational production of Tristan and Isolde, (directed by Olivier Py). Axelrod assumed the title of Music Director Designate for the 2009-2010 season, and commences his full duties as Music Director for the 2010-2011 season with a minimum 3 year term.

During summer 2009, Axelrod made a unique European and North American tour at the invitation of Chinese pianist Lang Lang and legendary jazz musicians Herbie Hancock. European cities and orchestras included Lyon with the Orchestre National de Lyon, Arena di Verona, the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Essen and Rotterdam with the Neue Philharmonie Westphalen, Ravenna and Milano with the Cherubini Orchestra. In North America, Axelrod returned for the 4th time to the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Besides, Mann Centre with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Performing Arts Centre with the New Jersey Symphony, Massey Hall with the Toronto Symphony and he returns to the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The upcoming 2010-2011 season includes nine innovative programs with the ONPL, a European tour with the Dresdener Philharmonic, Hollywood in Vienna with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchester Vienna, debuts with the National Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Centre, Sinfonia Varsovia in Warsaw, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the Russian Philharmonic Moscow, Graz Philharmonic, Philharmonica Arturo Toscanini, and the Royal Danish National Orchestra.