The Orchestre National de Bretagne, or National Orchestra of Brittany, pursues a diversity of programming unusual among France's regional orchestras. Its repertory extends from traditional classics, to Celtic music of the region, to video game scores. The Orchestre National de Bretagne was founded in 1989 as the Orchestre de Bretagne in response to a perceived lack of symphonic concerts in France's Brittany region. The group soon began recording, issuing albums devoted to composers Paul Le Flem, Thomas Indermühle, and Joseph-Guy Ropartz in 1995 on the Timpani and Camerata labels. The ensemble was renamed the Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne in 2012 and then the Orchestre National de Bretagne in 2019 when it became one of France's regional orchestras that hold the "national" designation. Originally, the orchestra was a cooperative effort mounted by the Brittany Region, the City of Rennes, the French Ministry of Culture, and the Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan départements in a single project. In English, it is sometimes known as the Brittany Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestre National de Bretagne consists of 44 musicians. Since 2015, its music director has been conductor Grant Llewellyn. The group performs at various venues, including the Théâtre National de Bretagne and the Couvent des Jacobins hall, and it also backs productions at the Rennes Opera. The Orchestre National de Bretagne is especially notable for the variety of its programming, which consists of three strands. The first includes traditional classical orchestral repertory. The second, called the "Taliesin Project," focuses on the Celtic music of the orchestra's Brittany region and features many guest artists. The final strand, Orchestre se lâche (roughly "Orchestra Lets Loose"), is open-ended and involves a good deal of experimentation; the orchestra has featured jazz pianist Dave Brubeck and his son Chris, Afro-Cuban music, and programs inspired by the music of pop star Serge Gainsbourg, among other guest artists. The orchestra travels around Brittany in summer, performing at such venues as beaches, and it offers many programs designed to appeal to families. The Orchestre National de Bretagne has released more than 20 albums on Timpani, ASV, and other labels. In 2022, it moved to La Dolce Volta, backing Natalie Dessay and other artists on the album Mozart à l'opéra. ~ James Manheim, Rovi