Finding the musical spirit of France's Notre Dame after the fire

It has been more than two and a half years since fire tore through Notre-Dame, the most visited church in the world and France’s most visited monument. The herculean task of restoring the medieval masterpiece was then delayed by the pandemic, but the French president has promised that the cathedral will reopen in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
 

The musical tradition at Notre-Dame is as old as the cathedral itself, with origins dating back to the 12th century.
 

But since the fire, the Maîtrise of Notre-Dame, the cathedral’s ancient music school and its choirs, has struggled financially: the state and the city of Paris eliminated funding; the school lost one third of its 2-million-euros-a-year budget and had to fire most of its staff and musicians.
 

The musicians now perform like a band of musical nomads, awaiting their return home. 
 

But, the cathedral’s closure has opened many visitors to a world overlooked even by Parisians themselves: the city’s more than 100 churches.

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