Eight children from a French choir end up in the hospital after experiencing symptoms resembling seizures during a concert performance.
Eight Youth Choir Members Hospitalized After Seizure-Like Incident at Boston Church
On July 24, 2025, eight members of the Chœur d'Enfants d'Île-de-France choir, aged between 11 and 13 years old, were hospitalized during a concert at St. Paul's Church in Harvard Square, Boston. The incident occurred midway through the performance, and no audience members reported any relevant symptoms.
The choir was in the middle of a US tour at the time of the incident. Firefighters were alerted to the situation, and the Cambridge Fire Department's hazardous materials unit conducted an environmental sweep and air-quality tests at the church. Despite their efforts, no hazardous substances were found.
The cause of the seizure-like symptoms remains unknown. However, some people in attendance reported smelling something unusual before the children began showing symptoms. It seems more related to environmental factors rather than the music performed, as there is no evidence linking the incident to Bach’s music or any specific aspect of the choir’s repertoire.
The affected singers were hospitalized at various hospitals in Massachusetts, but all have since been released. The church, St. Paul's Church in Harvard Square, Boston, has not released a statement regarding the incident.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the unusual incident. Until a definitive cause is found, the leading hypothesis is an unidentified environmental factor (such as an odor or airborne substance) inside the church, but no confirmation has been made, and musical repertoire has not been implicated.
[1] Boston Globe. (2025). Eight members of French children's choir hospitalized during performance at St. Paul's Church in Harvard Square. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2025/07/24/eight-members-french-childrens-choir-hospitalized-during-performance-st-pauls-church-harvard-square/
[2] CNN. (2025). Eight children from French choir hospitalized during performance in Boston. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/24/us/french-choir-children-hospitalized-boston/index.html
[3] ABC News. (2025). Eight children from French choir hospitalized during performance in Boston. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eight-children-french-choir-hospitalized-performance-boston-78354382
- Given the unusual symptoms experienced by the choir members and the reported odd smell before the incident, the potential causes could be linked to health-and-wellness issues such as medical-conditions or even neurological-disorders.
- The ongoing investigations into the hospitalization of the Chœur d'Enfants d'Île-de-France choir might reveal insights into the impact of environmental factors on science, particularly in relation to mental-health or neurological-disorders, as the incident seems more related to these areas rather than the music performed.
