Auditorium
du CRR de Paris
Quartier de la Place de l'Europe
Behind the Saint-Lazare train station, the bridge at Place de l'Europe offers a view of the activity of the newly constructed railway, built in 1832, which Monet famously depicted in his artwork. The square forms the center of the Quartier de l'Europe, built around the same time. The streets of this neighborhood are named after major European cities. To the west, Rue de Rome is notable for its remarkable concentration of luthiers, bow makers, and musical instrument manufacturers. They settled here after 1911, when the National Conservatory of Music and Dance (Conservatoire national de Musique et de Danse) was established at 14 Rue de Madrid.
Initially founded in 1795 at the Hôtel des Menus Plaisirs du Roy and directed by Sarette, the Conservatory moved in 1911 under Gabriel Fauré's direction to the former Jesuit school of Saint-Ignace at 14 Rue de Madrid. Luthiers, sheet music shops, and wind instrument manufacturers soon set up in the area, transforming it into a vibrant musical hub.
When the Conservatory (CNSMDP) relocated to La Villette in 1990, the City of Paris acquired the premises on Rue de Madrid to consolidate the classes of the Regional Conservatory, which had been established in 1978 and directed by organist and pianist Jacques Taddei from 1987 to 2005.
From April 1994 to September 1996, the architectural firm Dubosc and Landowski oversaw the restoration and rehabilitation of the building, preserving the listed facade, the Fauré Hall, and the “salle du trac” (“nerves room”), where students warm up before exams, competitions, and auditions.
On February 4, 1997, the Mayor of Paris inaugurated the newly renovated facilities in the presence of Madame Jacques Chirac and Monsieur Marcel Landowski.