Luc Watelle, Mayor of Bougival, recently announced that Pierre Bédier, President of Yvelines County Council, has decided to provide all its expertise in the development   of Bougival’s ambitious cultural and tourism project as purchaser of Georges Bizet’s former home. This represents the first phase of the development of the CEM (Centre Européen de Musique) designed by Jorge Chaminé and supported by Bougival Town Hall.

Maison Bizet will have an area dedicated to the composer and an artists’ residence and, with the neighbouring Espace Carmen, will be the first phase in the major project that is the European Music Centre.

The Espace Carmen, built on a neighbouring plot, will house a multifunctional auditorium, recording studios and a bookshop. In 2019, the CEM will develop through concerts, festivals and many cultural activities and events. The villa formerly belonging to opera singer Pauline Viardot will also be restored and will become a venue for master-classes, exhibitions and public events and home to the musical and literary archives of the Garcia-Viardot families.

In parallel, the CEM is planning to finance and build new buildings for the European Music Centre opposite Bizet’s former home. It will have high-level teaching and re- search facilities, a large amphitheatre, a library and hospitality and catering amenities.

The aim of the CEM is to be a bubbling, musical melting pot: at the same time a very high-standard school for young European musicians, a venue for concerts, conferences and public master-classes and also a forum for discussion and dialogue around European Romantic music. It will have a research laboratory studying the connections between the brain and music.

It will represent an unrivalled cultural and scientific hub in Europe, supported by prestigious European and international institutions. In the future, an inter-generational residence will be built for upcoming and retired musicians.