Outreach activities
The Orchestre National de Jazz is committed to reaching out to all audiences to raise awareness of jazz and orchestral music, and to encourage discovery, learning and cultural practice.
The development of shows for young audience, starting in 2019, marked a turning point in the ONJ’s artistic offering, opening it up to young spectators for the first time in its history. As well as continuing its creative work with children and teenagers, the orchestra is developing a series of mediation activities, in line with its musical programs and the complicity of its artists. These activities focus on a number of areas: initiation and transmission to young people, from early childhood through to schoolchildren; support and professional integration for young instrumentalists; training for composers; interaction between generations; various activities aimed at remote audiences; and a major effort to promote the representation of women in jazz.
These are just a few of the many initiatives and special moments deployed throughout the territory, in partnership with the various players in the sector, to promote jazz in all its liveliness and diversity.
Activities examples
Promoting access to music for underserved audiences
For the past five years, the ONJ has been running projects in prisons based on a complete program: prison concerts, workshops on a chosen theme and the creation of podcasts by inmates. Conferences led by outside speakers enrich this project, providing rich moments of exchange and sharing. On the strength of this experience, the orchestra is keen to expand its work with migrants and other audiences far removed from culture, to give everyone access to music and artistic expression.
Around La Planète sauvage (Fantastic Planet)
The ONJ offers encounters and workshops for schoolchildren to extend the experience of the show beyond the stage. Young people can explore various aspects of creation, such as composition and electronic instrumentation, the creation of animations inspired by the aesthetics of glued paper, and the art of scenography. Conferences and discussions can also be organized to further explore the show’s themes of ecology and science fiction, and the team creative process.
Les “Elles” du Jazz
The game
Discovering 12 female jazz figures
Conceived by the ONJ for middle-school students, this mediation project takes the form of an in-class game in which pupils discover 12 portraits of women in jazz, from the late 19th century to the present day, as gateways to musical worlds that are both plural and singular. The aim is to awaken young people’s curiosity about jazz and improvised music, to draw their attention to the careers of female musicians and composers, while developing their knowledge and listening skills, sparking discussion around the issue of women’s representation and, perhaps, encouraging vocations.
“Exceptionn-elles ? The place of women in jazz” exhibition
This illustrated exhibition, offered to ONJ concert venues and partners, highlights a few key figures from surveys carried out by various professional organizations on gender equality issues in the jazz and improvised music sector. Through it, the ONJ is raising awareness and alerting the public to the reality of inequality: women are still largely under-represented on stage, and the distribution of roles within orchestras, music stands and administrative teams is struggling to balance out.
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At the heart of middle school
Since 2021, the ONJ, Jean-Baptiste Clément Middle School, and the Georges Bizet Municipal Conservatory have been developing a partnership based on various components: The orchestra’s soloists taking part in jazz workshops organized at the middle school; seasons of public rehearsals open to schoolchildren; in-class introductory and discovery workshops; visits to cultural establishments and audience tours.