Societe Generale performs at the Royal Festival Hall in London
As part of a unique corporate initiative Societe Generale staff will be performing for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall, one of London’s leading classical music venues, on Saturday 22 April.
Entitled ‘Playing for London’, Societe Generale will bring together 300 amateur musicians and singers from staff to perform with Les Siècles symphony orchestra, as part of the bank’s series of concerts. This will be the first time the ensemble has performed outside France, following the success of previous concerts ‘Playing for Salle Pleyel’ in 2013 and 2014, and the ‘Playing for Philharmonie’ in 2016.
The Royal Festival Hall will welcome on stage Societe Generale employees from France, Morocco and the UK, as well as conductor François-Xavier Roth, founder of Les Siècles and recently appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in March 2017.
Frederic Oudea, CEO of Societe Generale commented: “Playing for London truly symbolises our core values of commitment and team spirit that drive the community here at Societe Generale. We are very proud to showcase how diversity creates harmony.”
Societe Generale and Classical music
Societe Generale’s support for classical music dates back to 1987, with the creation of a dedicated charity. It has gradually established itself as a key player in the musical world, contributing to expanding the reach of classical music beyond its traditional audience.
Societe Generale partners with 23 orchestras and ensembles, giving more than 1,000 concerts and performances every year. Iconic venues also benefit from Societe Generale’s support. These include the Philharmonie de Paris, the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord among others in France, as well as the National Theatre of Prague in the Czech Republic. In the UK, Societe Generale is also a corporate member of the Royal Albert Hall and of the Glyndebourne Opera festival.
By helping leading music schools, lending instruments, and awarding scholarships to students to help with their professional development, Societe Generale also supports the talents of today who are set to become the major artists of tomorrow.
In a year when it is celebrating 30 years’ support of classical music, Societe Generale is also proud to be building on its long-term partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum as lead sponsor of its major exhibition: ‘Opera: Passion, Power and Politics’, in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, opening on 30 September.
The concert will be streamed live, from 7.30pm, on societegenerale.com and on the Group’s following Twitter accounts:
@societegenerale
@MecenatMusical
@SG_Africa
@SG_Maroc
@SocGen_UK
@SGCameroun
Press Contact:
Ila Kotecha : + 44 (0) 20 7676 6804 – ila.kotecha@socgen.com