Carmen

A campaign under the patronage of Europa Nostra - the voice of cultural heritage in Europe with Plácido Domingo as president.

Europa Nostra

A European federation of cultural heritage, Europa Nostra, is a non-governmental organisation founded to preserve Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It brings together more than 450 associations and works regularly with international organisations, particularly the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO which recognises it as a partner NGO with a consultative role.

Présidée par Plácido Domingo

€3 MILLION CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

This campaign's goal is to collect an initial €900,000 to buy the house itself and then a further €560,000 to renovate it. The investment would cover both the interior and exterior restoration of the building, the creation of a museum area dedicated to Bizet and of an artists' residence for writers, visual artists and musicians and the purchase of works for the collections.

The second goal of this campaign is to create the Espace Carmen opposite Georges Bizet's house in buildings known as 'La Ferme', currently owned by the town of Bougival. This would provide a visitors' reception area including space for an exhibition based on Bizet's masterpiece, a recording studio as well as a multifunctional concert hall where the ECM would organise concerts, master classes, conferences and projections etc. The cost of this is estimated at €1,540,000.

Project Stakeholders

La Ville de Bougival

Luc Wattelle, Mayor of Bougival, has undertaken to promote and develop this European project focused on culture, heritage and tourism through which Bougival could become an iconic site in European minds. Mayor Wattelle is aware of Bougival's treasures and has already begun some moves essential to the project's success such as purchasing Berthe Morisot's house and plots known as 'Mercedes'.

Dartagnans

Dartagnans is a crowdfunding agency specialising in raising funds, communication and creating and spreading content for cultural, heritage and tourist projects. Founded in September 2015, Dartagnans has already helped 120 project initiators through its three main activities: a digital agency, a crowdfunding platform devoted to raising funds online and an influential social network.

L’ Association CEM (Centre Européen de Musique)

The association, founded in 2014, has become a key backer of the overall project conceived by its president, Jorge Chaminé. Now with the support of the Town of Bougival and Bénita Carteron, its general secretary, the aim of the ECM is to bring together on the banks of the Seine the Golden Triangle – Villa Viardot, Tugenev's Dacha and Bizet's House/Espace Carmen – and the Impressionists Hill which includes Berthe Morisot's house and the Machine de Marly, or Marly's Machine, into a vast cultural, educational, scientific and tourist project.

Les Amis de Georges Bizet

An association founded in 2000 by the committed and cultured baritone and teacher, Jorge Chaminé, Les Amis de Georges Bizet (Friends of Georges Bizet) had, for a long time, as its president the writer, journalist and opera-lover, Jean Lacouture. The current president is the great Spanish mezzo-soprano, Teresa Berganza. The association's goal is to protect the memory of Georges Bizet, to help promote the composer's lesser-known works and to organise exhibitions and cultural events relating to the 19th century. It also helps promote the Bougival site, including Bizet's house, Pauline Viardot's villa, Ivan Turgenev's dacha and Impressionists Hill.