The Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL) has a core of 104 permanent musicians. Its current music director laureate is American conductor Leonard Slatkin, who was music director from September 2011 to June 2017. Nikolaj Szeps- Znaider is music director designate, beginning his tenure in September 2020.

Successor to the Société des Grands Concerts de Lyon, founded in 1905 by Georges Martin Witkowski, the ONL became a permanent orchestra in 1969 at the instigation of the City of Lyon Council cabinet member for culture, Robert Proton de la Chapelle. Following Louis Frémaux (1969–1971), it has been under the successive musical direction of Serge Baudo (1971–1987), Emmanuel Krivine (1987–2000), David Robertson (2000–2004) and Jun Märkl (2005–2011).

The ONL has the privilege of rehearsing and performing in its own dedicated venue, the 2,100-seat Lyon Auditorium. Aside from its concerts in the Auditorium, the ONL also performs in concert halls across the world such as Carnegie Hall, New York, the Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Shanghai. In 1979, it was the first European symphony orchestra to perform in China.

Photo: Niko Rodamel