Jean-Claude Casadesus was born in Paris into a family of musicians and artists he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and began his career as a percussionnist. He went on to study composition, writing a number of pieces for the cinema and theatre, and trained as an orchestral director with Pierre Dervaux in Paris and Pierre Boulez in Basle. In 1969 he was appointed principal conductor of Opera de Paris and Opéra Comique. In 1971, he joined with Pierre Dervaux in setting up the Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire and was its Assistant director until 1976... He then formed the Orchestre National de Lille of which he was appointed Music Director and to which he has since devoted the major part of the time. Under his direction it has become one of the principal orchestras in France, known for its repertoire and dynamism. In Lille it has established one of the largest symphonic subscription seasons in France and it also gives nearly seventy concerts each year throughout the Nord - Pas de Calais Region and on tour. Under Jean-Claude Casadesus direction the Orchestre National de Lille has travelled all over Europe, to the United States and Canada and to Japan. In 1985 he took the orchestra to Africa (the first tour of that continent by a large symphony orchestra) and also on highly successful tours to former USSR and South Africa. At that same time Jean-Claude Casadesus persues a world-wide conducting career. He has been the guest of the internationally famous orchestras in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, London, Vienna, Oslo, Dresden and Leipzig where he is invited regularly by Kurt Masur to conduct at the Gewandhaus. He also conducts large opera productions both at Lille Opera and at other wellknown opera houses including Paris and Lyon and at major festivals (Aix en Provence, Orange...) Jean-Claude Casadesus has made many recordings, including nearly thirty as Director of the Orchestre National de Lille for Harmonia Mundi, Forlane, Erato EMI and Naxos. His recordings of Mahler Symphonies (1, 2, 4 and 5), Clovis et Clotilde by Bizet with Montserrat Caballe, and two Mahler and Wagner albums with José Van Dam and French music including Berlioz, Debussy, Ravel, Honneger among others, received numerous