Cite de la Musique with its music museum and concert halls

The Cite de la Musique is a cultural centre at the Parc de la Villette, which is specifically for music and research as well as two concert halls, which host over 400 concerts each year. Not forgetting the Salle Pleyel concert hall which is managed by them and the Musee de la Musique museum as well as a media library.

The architect which designed the Cite de la Musique was called Christian de Porzamparc, who aimed for a cultural centre with transparency and fluidity and a modern style which could easily be integrated with the surrounding beautiful park in Paris and not look like a "sore thumb".

The Parc de la Villette is a perfect place to visit while on holiday in Paris, with art, culture and relaxation all in one area and it attract millions of people yearly, along with many other prominent and well known attractions in the area including the Cite Des Sciences et de l’Industrie which is the largest science museum in not only France but Europe as well, the impressive Geode cinema , the Grand Halle, the Argonaute submarine used by the French navy and much more.

The Cite de la Musique was first opened in January of 1995, and since then has become an international reference centre to help bring together all kinds of music and aims to help inform and to help people of all ages whether they are a music lover, professional or novice to help discover music and how rich it can be.

Cite de la Musique in fact has two music halls, and the first is known as the Cite Concert Hall which can hold 980 people with its modular design and brilliant acoustics.

This concert hall is a place where you can find and experience some of the greater musicians of all time and with a varied selection from Baroque to contemporary and from classical to jazz or world music. But not just that, the Cite de la Musique additionally offers a program for educational concerts where you can learn more about a type of music, composers, instruments and more especially designed for children.

The second concert hall is the Amphitheatre that has an organ inside but is more of a close nit space with only 230 seats where it mainly plays host as a place for recitals and chamber music. Although you can also find musical demonstrations and concerts at the Amphitheatre which are from the Musee de la Musique Museum with some playing the original instruments, or if the items are too fragile, a copy of it to avoid damaging the original instrument held within this fabulous music museum in Paris.

The Cite de la Musique promotes the exchange between Eastern and Western music cultures and from the historical going back to the middle ages through to the present day. And with this in mind, the l’Ensemble Intercontemporain, which currently has 31 soloists and is devoted to performing 21st century music and new works, are also resident here at this cultural centre.

Also this centre plays host to prestigious artists from France and throughout the world, with more than 200 different concerts being organised each year, not forgetting that the Salle Pleyel is a subsidiary that also plays host to many different orchestras and concerts. In fact, at the moment the Orchestre de Paris is resident at the Salle Pleyel, which is located close to the Champs Elysees, until they will eventually move to the Philharmonie de Paris, which will be the fabulous new 2,400 seat concert hall close to the Cite de la Musique in the Parc de la Villette.

There is also a multi purpose space with a media library, which was first opened in 2005, that has ultra modern facilities and is designed for professional musicians and those that are interested in learning more about music or instruments while on holiday in Paris.

With its vast amount of different documents that equates to around 70,000 and constantly growing, there are printed materials along with audio, audiovisual and multimedia sections. Plus there are online resources where you can watch concerts that have been performed at the Cite de la Musique, discover the history of musical instruments, repertoires, music scores, details of composers, instrument makers and much more. However, it is also an invaluable resource for obtaining information on workshops and music schools and there are almost 7,000 notes related to the Musee de la Musique.

In addition, the Folie Musique is located right in the heart of this cultural centre and is a space devoted to encouraging the practice of music for both adults and children and there are special workshops designed for children as well as families including sound studios, the electric guitar, steel pans, etc and the workshops for adults are often held with guest musicians as well.

Inside the Cite de la Musique you can also find the Harmonia Mundi bookshop, which is located between the main concert hall and the entrance to the Musee de la Musique museum. Here you will be able to purchase DVDs, CDs, books, and much, much more on virtually every topic you could think of to do with music.

Also, if you feel a bit peckish then why not take a bit of time out and relax in the chic atmosphere of the Cafe de la Musique, which is an ideal location at the Parc de la Villette to enjoy refreshments or a meal before or after a concert or whilst just enjoying this area of Paris.