Georges Bizet
The council of the French department Yvelines has announced to acquire the house of Georges Bizet in Bougival for one million €. The council says that it will put « all the expertise of its services at the disposal of the development of the ambitious cultural and tourist project of Bougival ». On this site will be created a European Music Centre (CEM) designed and chaired by Portuguese baritone Jorge Chaminé.
Bizet’s house, situated on the river Seine in Bougival
The Bizet House will include a space devoted to the composer and an artists’ residence, and will be, with the nearby Espace Carmen, the first phase of the project.
Espace Carmen, built on the surrounding land, will include a multipurpose auditorium-room, recording studios and a bookstore. The activity will develop in 2019 with cultural activities. The villa of soprano Pauline Viardot which is situated not far from Bizet’s house will also be restored, which will allow to organize master classes, exhibitions and public events and to consolidate the music and literary archives of Garcia-Ricardot families.
