For more than half a century, musician and humanist Jorge Chaminé has embodied in his artistic and personal journey the living convergence of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 in its 2030 Agenda. His trajectory as an international baritone, polyglot and cultural mediator has always been guided by a deep conviction: music has the power to transform individuals, societies and the relationships between peoples. From the stage to the classroom, from refugee camps to major European institutions, Jorge Chaminé has built a global musical commitment founded on the values of inclusion, justice, peace, knowledge transmission, intercultural dialogue and reconciliation with nature and the living world.

The Centre Européen de Musique (CEM), which he founded in 2013, thus embodies not only an artistic and transdisciplinary vision but also an unprecedented institutional framework, conceived as a living space for implementing the SDGs through music. A unique institution in the world, the CEM brings together artists, scientists, philosophers, educators, diplomats, therapists, urban planners and ecologists around the same conviction: music is not just entertainment or a cultural industry; it is an omnipresent matrix-like force.

The following table summarizes this vision by aligning each of the 17 SDGs with the founding principles and programmatic orientations of the CEM. It reveals how the CEM acts as a living laboratory of sustainability, care for the world and thinking-in-action, where music becomes not only a language but also a powerful lever of individual and collective transformation.

Major Unifying Principles of the Centre Européen de Musique

The CEM is built on a holistic, transdisciplinary and profoundly human vision of music that informs all of its actions and commitments. Its unifying principles structure a one-of-a-kind institution in which music acts as a transformative force in the world.

• Music as an instrument of peace: at the heart of the CEM, music is conceived as a universal language capable of transcending borders, soothing conflicts and restoring dialogue among peoples.
• Music as a democratic lever: the CEM champions music as a fundamental right, accessible to everyone regardless of origin, social status or level of education. By emphasizing “Listening,” the CEM seeks to cultivate this sense essential to democratic life. “Listening to Life,” a phrase coined by JC, has become programmatic.
• Transdisciplinarity: Music at the crossroads of knowledge—it engages in dialogue with cognitive science, medicine, ecology, philosophy, visual arts and history to create high-impact, innovative projects.
• Accessibility: Music as a common good. The CEM carries out inclusive initiatives for marginalized, remote or vulnerable audiences (disadvantaged youth, migrants, seniors, people with disabilities, etc.).
• Integral ecology: Music participates in an ecology of the living by re-situating humans within their sonic and natural environment.
• Dialogue of cultures: European and global musical diversity is celebrated as a shared treasure, fostering understanding and peace.
• Memory & innovation: The CEM weaves together heritage and the future by honoring musical figures of the past while inspiring contemporary creation.
• Music as care & transformation: Music is used as a tool for therapy, resilience and regeneration through programs that link neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and participatory practice.

These unifying principles truly cohere only if they can produce measurable effects—so that public and private decision-makers can invest in positive-impact models where music and its powers are put at the service of the common good.

For more than half a century, musician and humanist Jorge Chaminé has embodied in his artistic and personal journey the living convergence of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 in its 2030 Agenda. His trajectory as an international baritone, polyglot and cultural mediator has always been guided by a deep conviction: music has the power to transform individuals, societies and the relationships between peoples. From the stage to the classroom, from refugee camps to major European institutions, Jorge Chaminé has built a global musical commitment founded on the values of inclusion, justice, peace, knowledge transmission, intercultural dialogue and reconciliation with nature and the living world.

The Centre Européen de Musique (CEM), which he founded in 2013, thus embodies not only an artistic and transdisciplinary vision but also an unprecedented institutional framework, conceived as a living space for implementing the SDGs through music. A unique institution in the world, the CEM brings together artists, scientists, philosophers, educators, diplomats, therapists, urban planners and ecologists around the same conviction: music is not just entertainment or a cultural industry; it is an omnipresent matrix-like force.

The following table summarizes this vision by aligning each of the 17 SDGs with the founding principles and programmatic orientations of the CEM. It reveals how the CEM acts as a living laboratory of sustainability, care for the world and thinking-in-action, where music becomes not only a language but also a powerful lever of individual and collective transformation.

Major Unifying Principles of the Centre Européen de Musique

The CEM is built on a holistic, transdisciplinary and profoundly human vision of music that informs all of its actions and commitments. Its unifying principles structure a one-of-a-kind institution in which music acts as a transformative force in the world.

• Music as an instrument of peace: at the heart of the CEM, music is conceived as a universal language capable of transcending borders, soothing conflicts and restoring dialogue among peoples.
• Music as a democratic lever: the CEM champions music as a fundamental right, accessible to everyone regardless of origin, social status or level of education. By emphasizing “Listening,” the CEM seeks to cultivate this sense essential to democratic life. “Listening to Life,” a phrase coined by JC, has become programmatic.
• Transdisciplinarity: Music at the crossroads of knowledge—it engages in dialogue with cognitive science, medicine, ecology, philosophy, visual arts and history to create high-impact, innovative projects.
• Accessibility: Music as a common good. The CEM carries out inclusive initiatives for marginalized, remote or vulnerable audiences (disadvantaged youth, migrants, seniors, people with disabilities, etc.).
• Integral ecology: Music participates in an ecology of the living by re-situating humans within their sonic and natural environment.
• Dialogue of cultures: European and global musical diversity is celebrated as a shared treasure, fostering understanding and peace.
• Memory & innovation: The CEM weaves together heritage and the future by honoring musical figures of the past while inspiring contemporary creation.
• Music as care & transformation: Music is used as a tool for therapy, resilience and regeneration through programs that link neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and participatory practice.

These unifying principles truly cohere only if they can produce measurable effects—so that public and private decision-makers can invest in positive-impact models where music and its powers are put at the service of the common good.