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When France entered its first lockdown in
March, Senechal joined other musicians, professional and
amateur, who took to their balconies or windows across Europe to
serenade their neighbours and lift their spirits.
France is now in its second lockdown, and Senechal, 44, has
started to sing at his window again, although this time he has
scaled back from daily performances to singing Monday and Friday
evenings.
"When lockdown happened, culture came to a complete halt. It
really felt like it was the end," Senechal said in his
apartment, a 15-minute walk from the Sacre Coeur basilica.
But he said he found a way to recreate a little haven of
culture. "Here, at my window, it's stronger than the opera
because I'm not playing a role, I'm myself," he said.
Senechal said he tailors the repertoire to fit the national
mood. When his audience is in need of something stirring, he
sings French national anthem the "Marseillaise." After the U.S.
presidential election, he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Senechal is not receiving state assistance for performers during
the pandemic because his income for the year is above the level
to qualify. He is working on a few projects outside opera,
including a short film.
For the most part though Senechal, who lives alone, gets by on
the money he saved up in better times.
"I try to save money by eating pasta, rice and potatoes," he
said. "And I am a very bad cook. It's a disaster."
(Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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