Jean-Claude Casadesus began his career as a percussionist (first prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur of Paris in 1959, timpanist solo at the Colonne concerts and soloist at the Domaine Musical with Pierre Boulez). He studied writing, composed music for films and for the theater, and practiced conducting with Pierre Dervaux and Pierre Boulez.

In 1969, he was hired as a permanent conductor at the Paris Opera and at the Opéra Comique. He participated, in 1971, with Pierre Dervaux, in the creation of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Loire Region. He was its deputy director until 1976.

He then created the Lille National Orchestra and became its director. He has since devoted most of his time to this orchestra. Under his direction, it has become, through its repertoire and its dynamism, one of the foremost French orchestras.

An ambassador of French music, Jean-Claude Casadesus has directed the Lille National Orchestra in many countries (Europe, USA, Russia, Canada, South America, Japan, Africa, China and so on) while giving about a hundred concerts a year in the Nord / Pas de Calais region.

At the same time, Jean-Claude Casadesus has pursued his career at an international level and has been invited by many great orchestras (Moscow, Salzburg, St Petersburg, Prag, London, Vienna, Dresden, Leipzig, Philadelphia, Berlin, Montréal ... ); he has also directed major lyric dramas in well-known operas (Operas of Paris, Lyon, Lille, Genève; Festivals of Aix-en-Provence, Orange, Opéra of Flandres and others).

His discography is impressive : more than 20 recordings with the Lille National Orchestra which have won him many prizes. Examples include the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th symphonies by Mahler, "Clovis et Clotilde" by Bizet, "Pelléas et Mélisande" by Debussy, the Berlioz Cantates, L'Enfance du Christ by Berlioz, Kinder Toten and Rückert Lieder by Mahler with José Van Dam, Werther by Massenet.

He is an Officer of the Legion of Honor, Commander of the Mérite National, Commander of the Arts et Lettres, Commander of the Orange Nassau order, Officer of the Léopold de Belgique order and Chevalier des Palmes Académiques and President of "Musique Nouvelle en Liberté".