The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. At the time of the school's foundation in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot,

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poetic ...

. The term ''école normale'' (English:

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

) meant a teacher training institution, and the school was intended to produce music teachers as well as concert performers. Located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, it was founded by Auguste Mangeot and pianist

. It is officially recognised by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and is under the patronage of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

. The school is not recognised by the Bologna Process.

History

The École was founded on 6 October 1919 as a private institution by French pianist

and Auguste Mangeot, director of the magazine ''Le Monde musical''. In 1927, the school moved from a building in the rue Jouffroy-d'Abbans to 114 bis

boulevard Malesherbes Boulevard Malesherbes is a boulevard in central Paris, France, running northwest between the Church of the Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement, and the Porte d'Asnières in the 17th arrondissement. It is one of the streets created during the ...

, a

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

mansion given by the Marquise of Maleissye, where it is situated to this day. In 1962, after Cortot's death, composer

Pierre Petit Pierre Petit may refer to: * Pierre Petit (engineer) (1594–1677), French military engineer, mathematician, and physicist * Pierre Petit (scholar) (1617–1687), French poet, doctor, and classicist * Pierre Petit (photographer) (1832–1909), Fr ...

became the school's new director. Two years later, 1964, conductor Charles Munch was named school president. In 1968, Henri Dutilleux succeeded Münch's position as president and stayed in office until 1974.

Management

The board of directors included musicians of renowned standing including Elliott Carter and Jean-Michel Damase. Since 1 January 2013, Françoise Noël-Marquis has held the post of director of the school, replacing Henri Heugel.

Salle Cortot

In 1929, the renowned architect

Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the ...

, who also responsible for the

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while ...

, designed a new 500-seat concert hall for the school. Named "Salle Cortot" after the school's founder, the hall was designed in the "

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

" style. Cortot once described it as: "A hall which sounds like a Stradivarius". In 2001, a restoration of the Hall was carried out with the support of the French Ministry of Culture and

Liliane Bettencourt Liliane Henriette Charlotte Bettencourt (; née Schueller; 21 October 1922 – 21 September 2017) was a French heiress, socialite and businesswoman. She was one of the principal shareholders of L'Oréal. At the time of her death, she was the ...

. Today it hosts more than 160 concerts and musical events every year. Both the Salle Cortot and the school are registered as historical landmarks by the French Administration.

Teaching

Higher education courses include instrumental, vocal, composition, film composition, orchestral conducting, chamber music and piano accompaniment disciplines. Training courses offering individual private lessons with visiting professors are also available upon prior audition. The school also has an intensive and tailored program for gifted musicians ages 11 to 16 who wish to pursue a career in music.

Les Concerts de Midi & Demi

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12:30, a free concert at Salle Cortot is given by the school's students of higher levels and/or its professors. The concept of the program was started by Jacques Lagarde in 1981 and carried on with the direction of Narcis Bonet. During the 2012-2013 season, Véronique Bonnecaze succeeded Bonet's place as its new

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

. Since then, the post has been held successively by Franck Tourre and Stéphane Friédérich.

Public masterclasses

Each year a set of public master classes with renowned musicians take place at the

Salle Cortot Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: *Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique *Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra *Salle Pleyel, a Paris ...

. Notable artists who have lectured include Alfred Cortot himself,

Samson François Samson Pascal François (18 May 192422 October 1970) was a French pianist and composer. Biography François was born in Frankfurt where his father worked at the French consulate. His mother, Rose, named him Samson, for strength, and Pascal, for ...

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well ...

, Thomas Hampson, and, more recently, Anne Queffélec, Inva Mula,

Natalia Gutman Natalia Grigoryevna Gutman (russian: Наталья Григорьевна Гутман) (born 14 November 1942 in Kazan), PAU, is a Russian cellist. She began to study cello at the Moscow Music School with R. Sapozhnikov. She was later admitted t ...

Karine Deshayes Karine Deshayes (; born 25 January 1973) is a French mezzo-soprano. Biography Deshayes was born in Rueil-Malmaison. She studied musicology at the Sorbonne, then singing with Mireille Alcantara at the Conservatoire de Paris,ODB-Opéra (2005) in ...

François-René Duchâble François-René Duchâble (born 22 April 1952, in Paris) is a French pianist. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, and at the age of 13 won the institution's first prize in piano. Three years later, he placed 11th at the Queen Elisabeth Mu ...

, Vincent Le Texier,

Mikhail Rudy Mikhail Rudy ( rus, Михаил Рудый: born April 3, 1953), is an Uzbekistan-born French pianist, who has won several awards for his recordings including the Grand Prix du disque. Life and career Rudy was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan whe ...

, Barbara Hannigan,

Emmanuel Pahud Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outsta ...

Michel Portal Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz". Early life Portal was born in Bayonne on 2 ...

Maria João Pires Maria João Alexandre Barbosa Pires (; born 23 July 1944) is a Portuguese classical pianist, widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. Early life and education Pires was born in Lisbon, Portugal, a posthu ...

Abdel Rahman El Bacha Abdel Rahman El Bacha ( ar, عبد الرحمن الباشا, born October 23, 1958) is a Lebanese pianist and composer. His repertory includes over fifty concertos and is largely based on the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert ...

András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Mus ...

and Vladimir Cosma.

Notable alumni and academics

Former distinguished members of faculty include Jean-François Antonioli, Narcís Bonet, Pierre Bernac,

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

, Georges Dandelot, Paul Dukas, Henri Dutilleux, Georges Enescu, Philippe Entremont,

Zino Francescatti René-Charles "Zino" Francescatti (August 9, 1902 – September 17, 1991) was a French virtuoso violinist. Zino Francescatti was born in Marseilles, to a musical family. Both parents were violinists. His father, who also played the cello, had stu ...

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...

Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in ...

, Jean Micault, Charles Munch, Magda Tagliaferro,

Yoshihisa Taïra was a Japanese-born French composer. Biography Yoshihisa Taïra was born in Tokyo in 1937. Initially, he studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts. He arrived in France in 1966 where he then studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. Among his ...

, Jacques Thibaud,

Françoise Thinat Françoise Thinat (born in 1934) in Gien ( Loiret), is a French classical pianist. She presides over the Orléans International Piano Competition, which she founded in 1994 and teaches at the École normale de musique de Paris. Biography Fir ...

and

Pierre-Henri Xuereb Pierre-Henri Xuereb (born 1959) is a French violist, performer on both the viola d'amore and the ''grand'viola''. Biography A student of Serge Collot at the Paris Conservatory, at the age of 16 he received first prize in viola. Following this h ...

. Prominent current members of faculty include Rafael Andia, Henri Barda, Erik Berchot, Philippe Bianconi, Régis Campo, Rena Cherechevskaïa, Vladimir Chernov, Henri Demarquette, Caroline Dumas,

Marie-Catherine Girod Marie-Catherine Girod (born 19 August 1949) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Peyrehorade, Girod studied piano at the Conservatoire de musique de Bordeaux, then at the Conservatoire de Paris where she entered Jules Gentil's cl ...

Anssi Karttunen Anssi Karttunen (born 1960) is a Finnish cellist. Karttunen's repertoire ranges from the early baroque to living composers and improvisation. He has performed with many orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including the Philharmonia, BBC ...

, Pierre Lénert, David Lively, Jean-Marc Luisada, Roselyne Masset-Lecocq, Patrick Messina, Daniel Ottevaere,

Jean-Bernard Pommier Jean-Bernard Pommier (born 17 August 1944 in Beziers), is a French pianist and conductor. Early life and education Jean-Bernard Pommier began playing the piano at the age of four and gave his first public concert at the age of seven. He had ...

, Bruno Rigutto, Eric Tanguy, Beatrice Thiriet, and Ramzi Yassa. Illustrious alumni include cellist

Antonio Janigro Antonio Janigro (21 January 19181 May 1989) was an Italian cellist and conductor. Biography Born in Milan, he began studying piano when he was six and cello when he was eight. Initially taught by Giovanni Berti, Janigro enrolled in the Verdi ...

; composers İlhan Baran,

André Boucourechliev André Boucourechliev (28 July 1925 – 13 November 1997) was a French composer of Bulgarian origin. Born in Sofia, Boucourechliev studied piano at the Conservatory there. Subsequently, he studied in Paris at the École Normale de Musique de Paris ...

, Elliott Carter, Gabriel Cusson, Jacob Druckman,

Alain Gagnon Alain Gagnon (22 May 1938 − 26 March 2017) was a Canadian composer and music educator based in Laval, Quebec. His compositions have been performed by ensembles throughout Canada. Early life and education Gagnon was born in Trois-Pistoles, Q ...

, Gérard Grisey,

Jacques Hétu Jacques Hétu (August 8, 1938 – February 9, 2010) was a Canadian composer and music educator. Biography Jacques Hétu was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec; he began his professional training at the University of Ottawa where he was a pupil ...

Simeon ten Holt Simeon ten Holt (24 January 1923 – 25 November 2012) was a Dutch contemporary classical composer. Ten Holt was born in Bergen, North Holland, and studied with Jakob van Domselaer, eventually developing a highly personal style of minimal ...

Leonid Karev Leonid Karev is a composer, organist and pianist, born in Moscow in 1969. He has lived in France since 1992, and is a professor of organ and piano accompaniment at the Conservatories of Paris and Yerres (France) and organist at the Notre-Dame-de-l ...

, Sophie Lacaze,

Bruno Mantovani Bruno Mantovani (born 8 October 1974) is a French composer. He has been awarded first prizes from the Conservatoire de Paris which he joined in 1993. His work has been commissioned by the French government as well as other organizations. In Sep ...

Beatrice Siegrist Beatrice Houllier Siegrist (born 21 December 1934) is a French composer, music educator, and organist who is best known for winning an Honorable Mention for composition in the Prix de Rome and for her compositions for trombone. Siegrist was born i ...

, Gabriel Yared,

Zygmunt Mycielski Count Zygmunt Mycielski (17 August 1907 – 5 August 1987) was a Polish composer and music critic. He was born in Przeworsk and completed his childhood education in Kraków, where he was taught by Bernardino Rizzi. In 1928, Mycielski moved to Pari ...

, Ron Nelson, Nick Norton, Michel Perrault,

Marcel Poot Marcel Poot (7 May 1901 in Vilvoorde, Belgium – 12 June 1988 in Brussels) was a Belgian composer, professor, and musician. Personal life His father, Jan Poot, was Director of the (Flemish Theatre) in Brussels. Early life Born to the dir ...

, Milton Estévez, Arturo Rodas,

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical gu ...

, Rodica Sutzu, Antoni Szalowski, Julien Jalâl Eddine Weiss,

Chris Mary Francine Whittle Chris Mary Francine Whittle (born 23 May 1927) is a Belgian composer, performer (harpsichord and piano) and teacher. Biography Chris Mary Francine Whittle was born in Antwerp, Belgium on 23 May 1927. Whittle studied music at the Royal Conser ...

and

Margrit Zimmermann Margrit Zimmermann (7 August 1927 – 23 February 2020) was a Swiss pianist, composer, conductor and music educator. She studied piano there under Jeanne Bovet and composition under Walter Furrer. Later she studied under Denise Bidal and Alfred Co ...

; composers-conductors

Vítězslava Kaprálová Vítězslava Kaprálová (; 24 January 191516 June 1940) was a Czech composer and conductor of 20th-century classical music. Life and career Vítězslava Kaprálová was born in Brno, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Czech Republic), a daughter ...

, Timur Selçuk, Selmi Andak; conductors

Charles Bruck Charles Bruck (2 May 1911 – 16 July 1995) was a French- American conductor and teacher. Bruck was born in a Jewish family in Temesvár, Banat, then in the Kingdom of Hungary, part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, since 1920 Timișoara in Roma ...

, Sylvain Cambreling, Aaron Scott; flutist and Minister of culture of Egypt Ines Abdel-Dayem; harpists Rino Kageyama,

Susann McDonald Susann McDonald (born May 26, 1935) is an American-born classical harpist. In addition to a successful performing career, she has made a number of recordings and held significant academic and organizational posts. Life McDonald was born in Rock ...

; guitarist Rafael Andia; musicologist Richard Hoppin, ethnomusicologist and Philippine National Artist José Maceda; organists

Monique Gendron Monique Gendron is a Canadian organist of international renown. She won first prize at the St Albans International Organ Festival in England and at the Grand Prix of Chartes in France. She has recorded sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and Geor ...

and Victor Togni; pianists Paul Badura-Skoda, Colette Maze, Jean-Paul Billaud, Richard Cass, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Dino Ciani,

, Ivan Ilić, Karen Keys,

Yvonne Lefébure Yvonne Lefébure (29 June 1898, Ermont – 23 January 1986, Paris) was a French pianist and teacher. Born in Ermont, she studied with Alfred Cortot at the Conservatoire de Paris, taking a ''premier prix'' in piano and numerous other subjects. She ...

, Dinu Lipatti,

Igor Markevitch Igor Borisovich Markevitch (russian: Игорь Борисович Маркевич, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', uk, Ігор Борисович Маркевич, ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian- ...

, Jean Micault, Anilu Romero, Victor Paukstelis, Caroline Haffner, Florence Delaage, Art Simmons, Siheng Song, François Weigel, Congyu Wang; violinist

Eric Rosenblith Eric Rosenblith (December 11, 1920 – December 16, 2010) was an Austrian-born American violinist. He was the former concertmaster of the Indianapolis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and had performed as a soloist and chamber musician thro ...

References

;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ecole Normale De Musique De Paris Music schools in Paris Education in Paris Educational institutions established in 1919 1919 establishments in France Art Deco Art Deco architecture