Orchestre Citadelle was created in 1949 by trumpeter René Diogène, the man who supposedly gave Nemours Jean-Baptiste the name “Compas” for the Haitian musical genre Jean-Baptiste popularized, which eventually became “konpa”. To ensure the success of his orchestra, René Diogène surrounded himself with talented musicians such as Charles Dessalines, Leconte Villevalex, Daniel Mayala and the composer Luc Mondésir.