Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris x Cité

At the Paris National Conservatoire of Music and Dance (CNSMDP), we are convinced of one thing: creativity thrives on encounters and movement.

The partnership with the Cité internationale des arts was born out of this idea: to offer young artists, musicians, dancers and composers a place where they can experiment, exchange ideas with creators from all over the world and engage their work in an international dialogue. The approach initiated by the Cité’s founders and its hybrid economic model, based in part on the involvement of long-standing partners, have made this collaboration between our two institutions possible.

Since 1968, 718 students from the CNSMDP have been hosted in residence. Every journey is different, but that of Marcel Cara, a former harp student of ours, really made an impression on us. He performed regularly at the Cité with artists he had met there, and these encounters gave rise to some wonderful collaborations. His story perfectly illustrates what this partnership makes possible: turning the residency into a genuine space for encounters and shared creativity.

For us, supporting contemporary creation means supporting artists over the long term, by giving them space and freedom. With the Cité, we want to take a more multidisciplinary approach, encourage cross-fertilisation between music, dance and other art forms, and open up our residencies even further to the international scene. In the future, we will also need to devise new ways of supporting artists that reflect the times we live in: the passing on of knowledge, aesthetic diversity and environmental sustainability.

The Cité is a unique place. A space of freedom where the boundaries between disciplines and nationalities fade away. It builds on what we do at the Conservatoire by offering our artists a genuine pathway into professional life, within a vibrant creative community. For us, it is a valuable partner and, in a way, a symbol of what art does best: bringing people together.