an off-handed short list of music things to do in Paris
Getting acquainted with new city can be challenging, and sometimes, navigating your way around the culture can be even harder—even with music, where you might feel pressured to find your niche. Paris’ music community is far-reaching and ever-present, as you’d expect from a city that has been a major centre of musical performance even prior to the medieval era. Really, the most challenging part is choosing where to start.
(photo: The ceiling fresca by Chagall, inside Palais Garnier)
Paris has an iconic set of venues that you should visit if you need a snapshot historical perspective: to name a few, The Moulin Rouge, a famous cabaret, Duc des Lombards, a world-class jazz club, and of course, the Opéra National de Paris, one of the most prestigious opera, dance, and stage institutions in the world, housed at the gorgeous Palais Garnier. Musical Theatre fans can sign up for a self-guided tour based on Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera—the characters, walking around the grand hall, will occasionally sing for those present. Or, if you feel like it and have a spare gown or tux in your suitcase, attend any number of magnificent productions offered during their season. Or, try their second venue, Opéra de la Bastille, for the same musical experience, but in a modern architectural setting.
But maybe attractions and landmarks are too crowded, or too expensive—maybe you just want to find a free concert to attend on a Tuesday night. Go to Saint Michel station to find street lamps, news stands, and bulletins plastered with neon-coloured posters advertising nightly recitals of Bach, Chopin, and other major composers of classical music held in any number of the historic churches peppered throughout the city. The music is charming, the event intimate, and the venue will more than likely be acoustically beautiful. Try to attend a concert at Saint Germain or Sainte Chapelle, or a venue in your arrondissement. If you’re really into church music specifically, attend a catholic service at Notre Dame, yet another historical landmark. Versailles also hosts an impressive concert series of classical composers, if you prefer palatial estates as your venue.
(above: stained glass from inside the main chapel in Sainte Chapelle) (below: Eastman students at the Ryoji Ikeda exhibition at Centre Pompidou)
If you’re a fan of the avant-garde, or what some people might call ‘new music’, try sound installations. IRCAM, an institution founded by modernist musicians Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez, is a five minute walk from Chatelet station located adjacent to its parent Centre Pompidou. This collective of programmers, musicians, designers, researchers, and scientists (among the various other positions you might find) offers the forefront of mind- (and maybe eardrum-) blowing sound research and exploration. Aside from conferences, collaborative exhibitions, and concerts, they host an academy every year for interested students called ManiFeste. If anything else, attend an ensemble intercontemporain concert at Philharmonie de Paris, located in Cité de la Musique.
(photo: the Philharmonie building)
Of course, you’re also in a huge centre of cultural exchange, so you might be able to see bands and larger commercial tours that might not be in your corner of the world usually. Meshuggah toured while I was there, among others, but you’ll find major lineups simply by walking through the metro stations. Access to public transit, as well as , makes planning a concert night or music festival pilgrimage so much easier. Depending on how long you’re staying, or where your act is playing, you may even want to look into planning a weekend trip (my friend Lora is an absolute legend with this) to fully immerse yourself in the concert experience.
Perhaps the most exciting musical event of the year is Fête de la Musique—a city wide concert that takes place during the night of Summer Solstice. From small jazz trios in the corner cafe, to DIY punk bands playing in courtyards in the Latin Quarter, avant-garde sound installations in Centre Pompidou, reggaeton DJs down an alleyway in Le Marais, or a maternity choir singing carols in a children’s park, there is no absence of music. About a week before, an interactive map of all of the acts and events will be posted on the Fête website. Although the individual sets are brief, Fête goes from about four in the afternoon to sunset--which on the solstice, extends almost to midnight.
(photo: classmates eating gelato outside of Centre Pompidou after a ManiFeste concert)
Of course, the key to finding music and venues that you’ll enjoy is talking with people in the city, and connecting with the culture around you. Reach out to your class, flatmates, (or even tinder dates) to make your experience in Paris true to its musically vibrant history and culture.
Read more about Paris, IRCAM, or music expeditions here.