For the next three years, Jan Willem de Vriend will take the position as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre National de Lille; an orchestra which according to De Vriend is not only unique by itself, but also has a unique audience and a unique concert hall. He will be leading the orchestra along with the principal conductor Alexandre Bloch.

De Vriend made his debut at the orchestra last season, and he instantly knew how to win over the hearts of the audience and the musicians with his refreshing, surprising and captivating concerts. In the next seasons, he will be focusing on music from the Classical and Early Romantic periods.

Last june, De Vriend retired as the principal of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra after 11 years. With this new appointment, De Vriend now has three fixed positions. Since 2016, he is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya and since 2015 he has been the principal conductor of the Residentie Orkest The Hague.

François Bou, the managing director of the orchestra, replied enthusiastically: "We are looking forward to work together with such a fantastic musician, who besides is a very nice person with a good sense of humour."