We report on a cascade nanosecond CdSe optical parametric oscillator with an output energy of 0.54 mJ at 100 Hz, temperature tuning within 9245-9285 nm, and a narrow (∼6 cm−1) spectral width achieved by a volume Bragg grating acting on the first stage. The CdSe crystal is pumped intracavity by the signal wave from the PPKTP-based first stage, and both stages operate under noncritical phase-matching conditions. The simple, compact, and robust setup produced the highest overall conversion efficiency for an all-solid-state laser system based on CdSe with 1-μm pumping, and the corresponding quantum conversion efficiency exceeded 13%.