Mélisse Brunet has a broad appreciation for Motown and disco classics.

“A lot of people grew up with that music,” said Brunet, who grew up in Paris. “It’s a lot of nostalgia and it’s part of our DNA. I’m so glad a lot of this music also includes orchestra.”

Brunet will serve as guest conductor for Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s Motown and Disco concert. She will be joined by Jeans ’n Classics, a group of musicians who blend rock music with symphonies, at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at Coxhall Gardens in Carmel.

Brunet, who lives in Philadelphia, is the conductor for the Lexington (Ky.) Philharmonic and Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa.

Brunet conducted Jeans ’n Classics last year.

“It’s a great band,” she said. “I’m also working with them with my orchestra in Pennsylvania. I’m doing a Queen (tribute) show with them. They’re amazing. I love both disco and Motown. ‘Disco Inferno’ always makes me very happy. People are going to have a big variety of selections that are going to bring back memories to them. I hope to see a lot of costumes because it’s funnier when we all show up with costumes.”

She recently conducted a pop show in Lexington, where she wore a Tina Turner dress and Prince’s “Purple Rain” outfit.

There will be a disco costume contest at 7:30 before the CSO concert.

Brunet was featured in “Maestra,” a 2023 documentary about five international female conductors.

“Being part of a documentary is an American dream come true,” Brunet said. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”

Brunet came to the U.S. from Paris in 2010 as an exchange student.

“I didn’t know that I would love the U.S. and American people,” she said. “I became an American citizen in February. I have a lot of qualities that are purely American and I didn’t know about that before I moved because each country is so different. The only thing that hasn’t changed is my accent.”

For more, visit carmelsymphony.org.