Césaré

What Césaré does

Césaré is a French national center for contemporary musical creation (Centre National de Création Musicale, CNCM) based in Bétheny near Reims, operating as a non-profit association (loi 1901). It is one of only eight structures in France holding the CNCM label, a designation created by the French Ministry of Culture in 1996 to support creation, production, research, and public outreach in contemporary music. Césaré provides high-level technical infrastructure — recording and mixing studios, multi-channel spatialization systems, and immersive audio installations — together with expert technical assistance to composers, performers, and artists developing new works. The organization hosts residencies, commissions and premieres original pieces, and runs an annual programming calendar that includes the Festival in situ and the Festival faraway in Reims.

The core product portfolio is built around immersive and experimental sound formats. SONOBOX is an individual immersive cabin with 11 speakers arranged for 3D audio, hosting ten original commissioned works; Mirari is a live electroacoustic concert under headphones; La Boutique des Rêves is headphone-based musical theater; and Nebula is a sensory show for children aged 3-6. Cultural mediation projects (Parapl'ouïe, Paysages sonores, Balade zinzin) extend the reach into schools and families, while the TISICA research project (with URCA) applies tactile sound interaction to Alzheimer's care. Productions are toured nationally to venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Festival Musica Strasbourg, GMEM Marseille, and L'Archipel Perpignan, often in co-production with other CNCMs and with the Acousmonium speaker orchestra of INA GRM.

Césaré's business model is structurally different from a commercial product company. It is funded primarily by public subsidies from the Ministry of Culture (DRAC Grand Est), Région Grand Est, Département de la Marne, and Ville de Reims, with additional support from Sacem and La Copie Privée. Direct revenue comes from ticketed concerts and installations at very low price points (€3-€20, with free entry for under-26s and select productions) and from co-production agreements with other cultural institutions. The customer base is dual: a small number of institutional funders that account for the bulk of the budget, and a large but fragmented end-user audience of concert-goers, schoolchildren, EHPAD residents, and the general public. With 1-10 staff, the organization operates at a small scale typical of French CNCMs, with no disclosed financial figures and no venture or private equity involvement.

Name

Césaré

Legal name

Césaré - Centre national de création musicale (CNCM)

Website

https://cesare-cncm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Césaré is a French national center for contemporary musical creation (CNCM) based in Bétheny near Reims, providing studios, residencies, and immersive sound installations to composers, performers, schools, and the general public across the Grand Est region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Music Creation Center

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Rehearsal & Pre-Production Studios (Rehearsal Rooms, Backline) (MPAIAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Contemporary music creation
• Musical residency programs
• Immersive sound installations
• Cultural mediation projects
• Electroacoustic concert productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bétheny

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Césaré is a French National Center for Musical Creation (CNCM) that commissions, produces, and presents contemporary musical works through composer residencies, studio services, and public performances. It operates high-level sound creation studios, recording/mixing facilities, and multi-channel spatialization systems to support new work creation, and complements these with cultural mediation programs in schools and care facilities, applied research projects, and an annual festival (Festival in situ).

Product overview

Césaré, Centre National de Création Musicale (CNCM) based in Reims, is a national center for contemporary musical creation. The organization offers a portfolio of immersive sound experiences and productions including SONOBOX (individual immersive sound cabin), Mirari (headphone concerts), La Boutique des Rêves (musical theater under headphones), Nebula (sensory show for children), and Vif (audiovisual performance). These core products are complemented by sound installations (Stylus Dust, Le Jardin), cultural mediation projects (Parapl'ouüe), and the annual Festival in situ. Césaré also supports artist residencies and conducts research projects like TISICA for Alzheimer's patients. The organization focuses on exploratory and contemporary music through commissions, creations, and public diffusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SONOBOX Immersive individual sound installation in a private cabin with 11 speakers arranged around the listener for a 3D audio experience, featuring 10 original commissioned musical works and one mashup discovery piece. Developed by Philippe Gordiani, Nicolas Boudier, and Benjamin Furbacco. For general public and cultural audiences.
• Mirari Live electroacoustic concert under headphones by Philippe Gordiani, continuing the H.A.V. (2022) cycle devoted to verbal auditory hallucinations and exploring the boundaries between real and imaginary through hypnotic sound experiences. For general public.
• Nebula Sensory and immersive show for children aged 3 to 6, offering a poetic journey between aquatic depths and airy lightness through sounds and sensations linked to emotions and imagination. Co-produced by HANATSUmiroir and Césaré CNCM/Reims.
• La Boutique des Rêves Immersive musical theater experience under headphones, based on Ingeborg Bachmann's 'Ein Geschäft Mit Träumen', in which the character Laurenz discovers a mysterious dream shop where he tries three dreams that will change his life. Created by Clara Chabalier and Karl Naegalen; produced by Césaré.
• Le Jardin: incantation - incarnation Sensory immersion installation in which plants, instruments, synthesizers, and lights meet to explore the symbiosis between humans, sound, and vegetation. Plants react to light, sound, thermal, and atmospheric stimuli, influencing synthesizer compositions and revealing chemical and electrical communication.
• Stylus Dust Sound installation paying homage to the vinyl record. The crackling and popping sounds of vinyl playback form the basic materials of a score played by an orchestra of record players, combining antiquity and modernity with the addition of human voices.
• Vif Audiovisual live performance inspired by Alain Damasio's 'La Horde du Contrevent' and prospective research tools, addressing energy issues through rare earth materials and climate fiction. Combines sound synthesis, voice, generative tools, and video creation.
• Balade zinzin sur les sons de la nature Quirky sound walk led by Maxime Le Moing featuring surprising insects, imaginative lichens, snoring butterflies, and musical streetlamps. Combines field recordings, fictional voices, and inventive sound effects through modular sound capsules.
• Festival in situ Annual music festival exploring new spaces for encounters with audiences, presenting exploratory music and sound experiences in atypical locations across Reims. The third edition (2026) features live electronics, tragédie lyrique, sound performances, and headphone concerts. Ticket prices range from free to €12.
• Parapl'ouïe Cultural mediation project for elementary school children led by sound artist Maxime Le Moing. Children become explorers, authors, and sound effects creators for one day, designing stories inspired by nature to be listened to under a sonic umbrella during an original immersive walk.
• TISICA Artistic and research project for people with Alzheimer's disease, developing creative artistic activities focused on tactile grasping and triggering sound events via the EMOSON device. Combines artistic creation with social inclusion through multidisciplinary workshops in EHPAD care facilities, in partnership with URCA / CReSTIC.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 spectators attend CNCM network activities annually across France
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministère de la Culture / DRAC Grand EstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCésaré is conventionné (conventioned) with the Ministry of Culture's regional directorate for cultural affairs (DRAC Grand Est), which provides institutional funding and national recognition as a CNCM.
• Région Grand EstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council of Grand Est provides institutional funding and support for Césaré's artistic programming and operations.
• Département de la MarnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of the Marne provides institutional funding supporting Césaré's activities and cultural programming.
• Ville de ReimscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Reims provides institutional funding and support for Césaré's operations and programming, with Césaré located within the Reims metropolitan area.
• SacemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSacem (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques) provides funding and support for musical creation, composition, and production projects at Césaré.
• La Copie PrivéecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate copying compensation organization supports Césaré's operations and musical creation projects.
• Opéra de ReimsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production and event partnership for performances including Tomber sans bruit, with Césaré presenting productions at Opéra de Reims.
• Le Manège, scène nationale – ReimsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor co-production partner for performances including EXIT, anti-opéra et révolution intérieure, and Acousmonium concerts, with Césaré collaborating on diverse programming.
• La Cartonnerie – SMACmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReims SMAC (Scène de Musique Actuelle) partners with Césaré on musical programming and cultural projects, located 5 minutes from Césaré.
• La Boussole, Centre culturel ReimsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural center in Croix-Rouge neighborhood, where Césaré conducts multiple mediation projects including Mirari concerts and residencies, operated by SCENOCO association.
• La Comédie – Centre dramatique national de ReimsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDN (Centre Dramatique National) of Reims partners with Césaré through the SCENOCO association and for performances including La Boutique des Rêves (student participation).
• Futurs Composés – Réseau national de la création musicalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network for musical creation, of which Césaré is a member, promoting and coordinating activities in contemporary music creation.
• a/CNCM – Association des Centres Nationaux de Création MusicalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association of CNCMs that coordinates and federates the actions of the eight centers. Philippe Gordiani, director of Césaré, is president of a/CNCM.
• Quint'Est – Réseau spectacle vivant Bourgogne Franche-Comté Grand EstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional live performance network covering Burgundy Franche-Comté and Grand Est, connecting Césaré with other cultural operators.
• Plateforme des musiques de création grand est (PfMC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional platform for creation music in Grand Est, with Césaré as an active member hosting programs like Les Petites Causeries.
• PROFEDIM – Syndicat Professionnel des Producteurs, Festivals, Ensembles, Diffuseurs Indépendants de MusiqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional union of independent music producers, festivals, ensembles, and presenters, of which Césaré is a member.
• INA GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Acousmonium concerts and collaborative performances, bringing INA GRM's speaker orchestra to Césaré programming.
• Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research projects including TISICA (in partnership with CReSTIC-URCA) and educational programs.
• Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de ReimsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for educational programs including Pensée à l'instant dite and Semaine de la création, hosted at the conservatory.
• Festival Musica StrasbourgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor coproduction partner for several Césaré productions including La Boutique des Rêves, Devenir|s Mutant·es, and Nebula, presented at the annual contemporary music festival.
• Festival faraway – ReimsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual arts festival in Reims for which Césaré hosts multiple events including La mano de Dios, Calebasses Labs, and Drums.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Le Manège - Scène nationale de Reims: Le Manège is a major Reims-based Scène nationale that is both a co-production partner of Césaré and an adjacent cultural presenter. It operates in the same regional ecosystem (Grand Est/Reims) with overlapping performing arts programming, though at larger venue scale and broader artistic mandate (theater, dance, circus) rather than specializing in contemporary music creation.

Broad incumbents

• IRCAM: IRCAM is France's flagship Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique, a much larger and more research-focused sibling institution to the CNCM network. It shares the contemporary music creation and electronic/computer music focus but operates at a substantially larger scale, with broader portfolio including software (OpenMusic), research labs, and education programs.
• ZKM - Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe: ZKM is a large German institution for art and media technology with a strong focus on sound and music creation, immersive installations, and audiovisual research. While substantially larger and broader in scope, it overlaps meaningfully with Césaré in immersive audio installations (SONOBOX-equivalent experiences) and electroacoustic/electronic music production.

Direct peers

• GMEA - Centre National de Création Musicale d'Albi-Tarn: GMEA is one of the eight French CNCMs, sharing the exact national mandate and label as Césaré. It operates studios, hosts residencies, and produces contemporary music events with the same institutional structure and a/CNCM coordination, making it the most direct peer in size, mission, and funding model.
• La Muse en Circuit - Centre National de Création Musicale: La Muse en Circuit is a Paris-area CNCM with the same national label and contemporary music focus. It shares the studio/residency model and coproduction arrangement with Césaré through the a/CNCM network, making it a direct operational peer.
• Voce - Centre National de Création Musicale: Voce is one of the eight French CNCMs, operating studios and contemporary music programming in the Paris region. As a co-member of a/CNCM, it shares the same mandate, funding model, and operational structure as Césaré, making it a direct comparable peer.
• Grame - Centre National de Création Musicale de Lyon: Grame is a Lyon-based CNCM with a comparable mandate in contemporary music creation, studios, residencies, and production. It is a co-commissioner of recent Césaré productions (e.g., Devenir|s Mutant·es), confirming direct programmatic overlap and partnership intensity within the a/CNCM network.
• Athénor - Centre National de Création Musicale: Athénor is one of the eight French CNCMs, based in Saint-Nazaire, focused on contemporary music creation with studios and public programming. Like Césaré, it operates under the same national Ministry of Culture mandate with shared a/CNCM coordination and similar funding structure.
• INA GRM - Groupe de Recherches Musicales: INA GRM is France's historic electroacoustic research group within the Institut national de l'audiovisuel, with which Césaré has an active partnership (Acousmonium concerts). It shares the electroacoustic and spatial audio focus, operates speaker-orchestra systems, and serves as both a peer and upstream technology/source partner.
• GMEM - Centre National de Création Musicale de Marseille: GMEM is another of the eight French CNCMs, based in Marseille. It shares the same national CNCM mandate, studio/residency model, and contemporary music focus, with strong overlap in electronic and electroacoustic creation. Regional differentiation is geographic (Mediterranean vs. Césaré's Grand Est) but the operational model is highly comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubesoundcloud.com/cesarecncm
• Xx.com/Cesare_Reims
• Facebookfacebook.com/cesarecncmreims
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cesare-cncm-reims

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Césaré