Season 26/27 will be unveiled on 19/05, and ticket sales will open on 26/05 at 10:00. Enjoy 25% off with our subscriptions.
Since 1936, the Belgian National Orchestra has brought the power of symphonic music to life in Belgium and beyond. Discover its story.
Founded in 1936 straight after the Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar), the Belgian National Orchestra has become one of Belgium’s leading cultural institutions. Over the decades, it has played a key role in the country’s cultural life: concerts for the Liberation of Brussels, long-standing collaboration with the Queen Elisabeth Competition, world premieres, international tours, and collaborations with Ennio Morricone, Stromae and Tomorrowland.
Today, the BNO and its 80 musicians combine tradition and innovation, connecting symphonic music with education, social projects and audiovisual creations. With Atelier BNO, its new rehearsal space inaugurated in 2025–26, the orchestra looks to the future while celebrating 90 years of music, encounters and shared emotions.
In 1931, Belgian conductor Désiré Defauw (later Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) founded the Orchestre symphonique de Bruxelles (OSB) under the patronage of HM Queen Elisabeth and in collaboration with the Philharmonic Society and the patron Henry Le Bœuf. The newly built Centre for Fine Arts, built in 1928 and designed by Victor Horta as a temple to all the arts, provided the ideal setting for the newly formed orchestra.
The early years were marked by the presence of prestigious guests: pianists Alfred Cortot and Vladimir Horowitz, and conductors Bruno Walter and Erich Kleiber, who would later become the orchestra’s first principal conductor (although the title of music director and principal conductor did not officially appear until 1960 with André Cluytens), assisted by Désiré Defauw. Although still in its infancy, the OSB was already performing a complete cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies as well as world premieres, such as Aeneas (1935) by the French composer Albert Roussel and L’Envol d’Icare (1932) by the Ukrainian conductor-composer Igor Markevitch.
The Ghent-born conductor Désiré Defauw ranks among the most renowned Belgian musical figures of the 20th century. His encounters with Ravel, Prokofiev, Toscanini and Richard Strauss enabled him to build a network that proved decisive for his career in Europe and America, while also deepening his understanding of their works. As conductor Wilfrid Pelletier noted in 1972: "An outstanding musician, Mr Defauw had had the privilege of meeting Richard Strauss and Maurice Ravel and discussing their music with them. He therefore spoke with great authority about their works when talking to the orchestra’s musicians […]. Defauw was much loved by both the musicians and the audience". Through his efforts, many leading international figures such as Herbert von Karajan, Bruno Walter, Marguerite Long, Anton Rubinstein and Pierre Monteux were invited to perform in Brussels.
In 1936, the OSB became the National Orchestra of Belgium (ONB-NOB). From the outset, the orchestra was the driving force behind the Queen Elisabeth Competition (known as the Ysaÿe Competition when it began in 1937, and until 1951). A true springboard for young talents from all corners of the world to compete on Belgium’s premier classical stage, the Competition enjoyed growing success, eventually achieving the international renown it enjoys today.
The orchestra’s status evolved further in 1958, becoming one of the country’s three federal cultural institutions, alongside the Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar) and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie (the national opera house). New collaborations propelled the orchestra to the forefront of the international scene: André Cluytens from 1960, who took the orchestra to the Musikverein in Vienna; Pierre Boulez in 1968; Georges Octors (first as concertmaster and later as principal conductor); Toots Thielemans in the 1980s, Ennio Morricone in 2000, Lorin Maazel in 2001… So many great names in the field who have helped the orchestra grow and define its signature sound.
In the 2000s, the concerts came thick and fast, each one unique, culminating in a daring project: to take to the main stage at Tomorrowland, the world’s biggest electronic music festival. In July 2015, the ONB achieved this feat by performing orchestral arrangements of songs by Avicii, Armin Van Buuren and Robert Miles, as well as the Tomorrowland anthem, composed by Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Interstellar, Gladiator, Inception, The Lion King…). A challenge they rose to with flying colours in front of tens of thousands of festival-goers, and one that would inspire the creation of the ‘Symphony of Unity’, Tomorrowland’s orchestra. This kind of musical crossover is becoming increasingly popular: the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel did the same in April 2025 at the Coachella festival.
In order to keep pace with the orchestra’s increasingly international projects, a change was needed. Consequently, the Orchestre national de Belgique became the Belgian National Orchestra (BNO) in 2017. A new name, a new logo, and a new vision for greater openness, influence and modernity. This new identity reflects the BNO’s desire to assert its role as a cultural ambassador for Belgium at European and global levels and to create ever more ambitious projects.
These projects, which push the boundaries of classical music, were not long in coming: from film concerts (Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Star Wars at the Palais 12/ING Arena, Joker at Bozar…) to performances in Brussels’ museums or nightclubs, including the United Music of Brussels (UMOB) project where musicians play to meet the public in the street, collaborations with renowned artists from the worlds of rock (Ozark Henry), pop (Stromae, Zaho de Sagazan) and rap (Scylla), and new formats such as Symphonic Dates and Staging the Concert, etc. At the same time, numerous international tours have taken the BNO to Japan, Spain, the UK, South Korea and Eastern Europe.
The year 2026 marks a significant milestone: not only is the BNO celebrating its 90th anniversary with a fresh new look and a revamped visual identity, but it is also opening its new rehearsal space, Atelier BNO. This venue, the culmination of many years of work, is designed as a faithful replica of the stage at Bozar’s Henry Le Bœuf Hall, both in terms of its dimensions and its layout and acoustics. Three times larger than the old hall, it can accommodate up to 200 people and opens the door to a wide range of uses: rehearsals, concerts, educational projects, masterclasses, artist residencies, meetings with the public, and more. The Atelier BNO represents a major milestone in the orchestra’s artistic development and offers a unique space to experiment, create and develop ever more ambitious projects. Find out more about the Atelier BNO here.
What’s next? The future holds many more surprises for the BNO and its audience, with new projects in collaboration with Bozar, a tour of Japan, interdisciplinary crossover projects that transcend musical genres and much more. Stay tuned and be part of the Belgian National Orchestra’s (hi)story!
1929 – Victor Horta lays the final stone of the Center for Fine Arts.
1931 – The Orchestre symphonique de Bruxelles is founded under the initiative of Désiré Defauw and under the patronage of HM Queen Elisabeth. The inaugural concert takes place on 7 November, conducted by Georges Georgescu with pianist Alexandre Brailowsky.
1936 – The OSB becomes the National Orchestra of Belgium (NOB). On 25 October, it gives its first concert.
1944 – On 24 December, the orchestra performs the Concert for the Liberation of Brussels, bringing hope to the Belgian people while the war continues in the Ardennes.
1951 – The orchestra becomes the official partner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
1958 – It becomes a public-interest institution and, alongside Bozar and La Monnaie, one of Belgium’s three federal cultural institutions.
1960 – André Cluytens becomes its first Music Director and Chief Conductor.
1963 – The NOB becomes the first Belgian orchestra to perform in the Great Hall of the Musikverein. Programme includes works by Marcel Poot, Richard Strauss, César Franck, Darius Milhaud and Maurice Ravel.
1976 – Concert celebrating the orchestra’s 40th anniversary at the Basilica of Koekelberg, with Georges Octors and 1,000 choristers performing Handel’s Messiah.
1983 – Recording of the soundtrack for L’Œuvre au noir by André Delvaux.
1992 – Concert at the Seville World Expo.
2015 – The NOB performs on the mainstage of Tomorrowland for its 10th anniversary and the first “Symphony of Unity”, featuring music including the festival anthem composed by Hans Zimmer.
2017 – The National Orchestra of Belgium becomes the Belgian National Orchestra (BNO).
2022 – The BNO collaborates with Stromae and conductor Dirk Brossé on the album Multitude.
2026 – The BNO celebrates its 90th anniversary with a new visual identity and the unveiling of Atelier BNO, its fully renovated rehearsal space.
Erich Kleiber (1936-1939)
Désiré Defauw (1937)
Edgard Davignon (1955-1957)
André Cluytens (1960-1967)
Michael Gielen (1969-1973)
André Vandernoot (1973-1975)
Georges Octors (1975-1983)
Mendi Rodan (1983-1989)
Ronald Zollman (1989-1993)
Iouri Simonov (1994-2002)
Mikko Franck (2002-2007)
Walter Weller (2007-2012)
Andreï Boreïko (2012-2017)
Hugh Wolff (2017-2022)
Antony Hermus (2022-2026)
