The orchestra will be 40 years old in 2026. In 1986, the Ministry of Culture entrusted saxophonist François Jeanneau with a mission: to set up an orchestra and propose a program. The ONJ’s mission is to make jazz heard, known and spread, in France, in Europe and around the world, jazz made here. These are rather large orchestras, there were ten to 17 musicians on stage.
There are no more permanent musicians. I’m going to put together several programs. For each, there will be specific musicians. I want to open the orchestra to different generations, depending on the repertoires.
We mainly play in festivals and jazz clubs and that was one of the challenges of my candidacy, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. How can we make this music accessible while still doing things we enjoy?
I want to build partnerships with non-specialized theaters. It also involves a lot of transmission. I have already done a lot of shows for young audiences, I have performed in schools, prisons, conservatories. There is a youth NYO which plays one of the repertoires of a former conductor every year. There are young people arriving from all schools in Europe, from the Netherlands, from Germany, from Italy. From December to June, they have residency meetings with a concert to boot.
Next year, Marc Ducret, a guitarist based near Morlaix (29), will direct it. He played in the first ONJ and wrote for major ensembles. In 2025, we will try to organize this in Brittany, where he lives.
During my training, the flute classes were full of girls, the orchestras full of men. Many women turned to teaching.
How does it feel to be the first woman to conduct this orchestra?
I’m learning again that I’m a woman (laughs). Everyone says to me: “You are a woman”, I say: “Yes, I am still a woman!” » We are going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the orchestra and, in fact, I am the first to take up the torch. It goes beyond the world of music, things are moving. I did not apply as a woman. I went there as a musician. I wanted to take on this mission.
There have long been fewer female musicians on stage than there are now. For younger people, seeing a woman lead the NJO can give confidence and desire.
Despite this, in the youth NJO, there are always more male than female candidates. We try to balance, on an equal level, so that it is mixed. During my training, the flute classes were full of girls, the orchestras full of men. Many women turned to teaching.
I looked for my roots, the birth certificates, the stories of the Hélary and Kéromnès families, my father’s parents, who came from Finistère.
You were born and raised in Brittany. Do you maintain links with the region?
I was born in Rennes where I trained at the Alain-Carré music school and at the conservatory before leaving for Paris at 19. My grandfather came from Brest. I looked for my roots, the birth certificates, the stories of the Hélary and Kéromnès families, my father’s parents, who came from Finistère.
On the professional side, I was an associated artist at the Magnetic Beaches in Brest. The Magnetic Beaches work jointly with venues such as Mac Orlan, Vauban and Passerelle. I was able to play in all these very different stage spaces. It was a strong bond.
The first program of the new ONJ will revolve around Carla Bley, a very important female jazz figure. Often surrounded by male orchestras, she had the advantage of having musicians who stayed with her.
We will present this repertoire on October 18 at Le Quartz in Brest, as part of the Atlantique Jazz Festival, before going to play it in Germany and Italy. Then, we will put on a show around progressive rock and “The Wild Planet”, an animated science fiction film considered a masterpiece. This could interest an audience less specialized in jazz.
