Nationaal Orkest van België

The Belgian National Orchestra (formerly: Nationaal Orkest van België) is the oldest symphony orchestra in Belgium.

The origins of the Belgian National Orchestra can be traced back to 1913, when the Belgian conductor and composer Désiré Defauw founded the "Symphonie Orkest van de Belgische Staat." This orchestra is considered the forerunner of the present-day Belgian National Orchestra. The orchestra is based at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (Bozar) in Brussels and is subsidized by the federal government.

The orchestra consists of 82 musicians. Each season, the Belgian National Orchestra gives about ninety concerts in Belgium and abroad. The orchestra also takes part in educational projects and accompanies various music competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition. However, the orchestra does not accompany the finals of the singing competition and the cello competition of this competition (since 2017). Nor does the orchestra accompany the final of the 2025 piano competition. The final of the singing competition is accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of De Munt, and that of the cello competition and the 2025 piano competition by the Brussels Philharmonic.