Music for free

All year round there are free concerts to enjoy throughout the capital – in churches, in some bars, in the Ville de Paris conservatoires, in bandstands in public parks and gardens, on the Seine quaysides or in the street. Culture for everyone, free of charge, what could be better?

Showcases in megastores	A trip to a megastore may surprise you with live music in the store. Musicians sometimes put in an appearance to promote their latest CD transforming part of the store in to a concert venue! The public get the chance to see artists up close, who even sometimes exchange a few words with their fans. Check out the programme in the stores for dates.More information Fnac and Virgin
Radio-France concerts	Music is a real vocation for the French radio institution. All year, it organizes all kinds of concerts (classical music, jazz or traditional).

Attending a master class

All kinds, and in all places … Before or after a concert, a master class entails listening carefully to the recommendations of a master on the art of playing and interpreting or explanations by musicians who analyze a musical work for you. A gripping way of getting to the heart of the music. The Musée du Quai-Branly and the Philharmonie de Paris programme them regularly, as does the Théâtre du Châtelet, where Jean-François Zygel presides, the most famous music teacher in France, an exceptional educationalist, who assembles a loyal, rapt and ever larger audience. He speaks with clarity and in a jovial way and notably he explains the rules of opera and the language of music with clarity. His lessons combine lightness with learning, theory and listening to music. The maestro also performs one Thursday each month at the Mairie du 20th arrondissement.

Mairie du 20e
6 place Gambetta, Paris 20. Metro Gambetta.  www.mairie20.paris.fr

Recording of La Bande passante	La bande passante is a weekly programme on RFI radio station which showcases upcoming or established artists who are making news on the music scene in France. It takes place in public at Parisian concert venues (Le Flèche d’Or, La Bellevilloise, etc.) in a particularly cosy and friendly atmosphere. For spectators it is a privileged occasion and they can even intervene during the interview to ask questions of their choice to the guest artist.More information : La Bande passante
Melodies in metro corridors	In the Métro, young talented musicians, carefully selected by the RATP (public transport authority) play in the corridors of the Métro. The Espace Métro Accords (EMA) auditions more than a thousand candidates every year for 350 spots. These musicians receive an accreditation that gives them the right to perform in areas of the Métro. It is an opportunity for these musicians to meet the public and practice their repertoire.More information :  Espace Métro Accords
Bandstands	Some 200 concerts or so are given each year (from May to September) in Parisian bandstands. All types of music are played: medieval dance music, classical guitar, police brass band, jazz quartet, etc. All you have to do is find a seat to make the experience more comfortable. For the full programme, see the Ville de Paris website, rubric ‘Kiosques en musique’.More information : Mairie de Paris
Pause piano	The association Jeunes talents, which seeks to help young musicians to perform in public, regularly organizes free concerts in the gardens of two hospitals (Sainte-Périne, 16th or Robert-Debré, 19th) as well as in a room at the 9th arrondissement town hall (one Thursday per month at 12.30pm).More information : Jeunes Talents