The National Jazz Orchestra will present a concert on April 25 at the Philharmonic, commencing at 8 p.m., featuring French artists Pierre Millet (trumpet) and Betty Jardin (vocals). Maestro Gian Emin will conduct the performance.

Audiences can expect big band arrangements of compositions and lyrics by Pierre Millet and Betty Jardin. Their works explore a range of emotions and human connections through music and poetry, encompassing feelings from nostalgia and escapism to hope, resilience, and introspection. The artists delve into themes such as the beauty of dreams, the passage of time, the innocence of childhood, and the struggle with selfishness and fear. Their compositions reflect cultural, personal, and universal moments, blending imagination with sincere reflections and celebrating the multifaceted nature of humanity.

Pierre Millet, born in the mid-1970s, is known as an instrumentalist and composer who works across genres, including rock, circus music, and chansons. He has performed with ensembles such as his father’s big band, AB Sextet, Les Elles, and Surnatural Orchestra, and leads several ensembles including Ana Kap trio, the Chromatic Museum wind orchestra, the Blast quartet, and the Renza Bô and Décor-um quintets.

Betty Jardin, a French singer residing in Normandy, frequently collaborates with Pierre Millet. She studied jazz theory at the Caen Conservatory and Indian music in South India, where she lived for over a decade. She is a member of the Jazz à Montpellier big band, as well as the Ana Kap and Breath & Breath ensembles. Jardin is recognized for her vocal style and her fusion of diverse musical genres, noted for “the interaction between jazz and Indian music that gives her a recognizable vocal sensibility and uniqueness.”