Pays de Laon Conservatory of Music and Dance

The Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse du Pays de Laon was founded in 1949 on the initiative of Marcel Levindrey, Mayor of Laon, and Roger Thirault, who was its first director.

Originally located in the medieval city, since 2005 it has been housed in premises dedicated to music and dance in the former Foch district, in the lower town. The architects Jean-Jacques and Marie-Chantal Plantinet have succeeded in creating a coherent whole from a building dating back to the military settlement in Laon, in keeping with the institution's mission: to teach music and dance, to provide educational broadcasts and to act as a resource centre for amateur musicians.

It has 27 classrooms, including 2 for group practice and 3 for musical training, 2 dance studios, a 255-seat auditorium with flexible acoustics, administrative offices and a reception hall where temporary exhibitions are held from time to time. It is home to more than 700 music, dance and acting students...