In a little over twenty years, Société Générale has become established as a key sponsor in the musical world.The creation by our Group of the Association Mécénat Musical Société Générale (MMSG) in 1987 provided us with the opportunity to support the entry of promising young talent into the world of professional performance.

MMSG relies on the support of its loyal partners, the Conservatoires Nationaux Supérieurs de Musique et de Danse (CNSMD) in Paris and Lyon.As well as awarding grants, helping with CD production and loaning instruments, it is also committed to raising the awareness of young people to music and introducing them to the experience through its Les concerts de poche and Les concerts du mercredi concert series.

Chamber music is still the poor relation in the subsidy system in France, so MMSG has stepped in to support music education, international competitions and festivals for the genre.  Festivals like Les Musicales de Colmar, the Festival de Musique de Chambre du Larzac and Les Solistes aux Serres d’Auteuil all contribute to making this very popular music more widely accessible.

MMSG treats music as a constantly evolving art form, and encourages initiatives in creativity, 20th century music and the music of the present day. MMSG also contributes to projects like the Aspects des Musiques d’Aujourd’hui festival held in Caen and the Orléans-based Concours International Piano XXe siècle. MMSG also commissions composers like Yan Maresz, Bernard Cavanna, Ivan Fedele, Marc Monnet, Philippe Manoury, Thierry Pécou and Francesco Filidei to compose the music of today that will become the heritage of tomorrow.

Promotion means providing support and encouragement right from the beginning, as has been the case with the La Chambre Philharmonique and Concert d’Astrée. As it is firmly of the belief that music should be accessible to everyone, MMSG places special emphasis on the support it provides for the Presto television programme on France 2 and the Les leçons de Musique instructional DVDs of Jean-François Zygel.

Salle Pleyel

After closing in 2002 for total refurbishment, the Salle Pleyel reopened its doors to audiences on 13 September 2006. As a long-time partner of other prestigious performing venues, such as the Théâtre du Châtelet, Société Générale contributed to the reopening of the Salle Pleyel in September 2006, and has supported it ever since.

With its superb acoustics and new technical facilities, this historic Paris auditorium now hosts concerts by the world’s most famous French and international ensembles. Chamber music, symphonic works, baroque music, the romantic repertoire, jazz and world music are all represented and welcome here.
This partnership highlights the substantial long-term commitment of Société Générale to the world of music.