Eight members of the Paris-based Chœur d’Enfants d’Île-de‑France were taken to Massachusetts hospitals Monday night after experiencing “seizure‑like” symptoms midway through their concert at St. Paul’s Church in Harvard Square.
The youth chorus, whose members are between 11 and 13 years old, was performing as part of their U.S. tour when crews were alerted around 7:30 p.m. to a child suffering from a seizure inside the Cambridge church.
When firefighters arrived, they found the child seated outside the entrance, breathing but distressed. Almost immediately, seven more children began to exhibit similar seizure‑like behavior, Cambridge Fire Chief Thomas Cahill told WCVB.
"This was somewhat unusual," Cahill said. "It was a routine medical call that quickly escalated into transporting eight children to the hospital. Not common."
All eight children were taken to nearby hospitals and have since been released. Still, officials cannot identify a cause for the children falling ill, but say those in attendance had complained of smelling something unusual before the children began showing symptoms.
In response, the fire department’s hazardous materials unit conducted a full environmental sweep of the church, performing air‑quality tests and ventilating the premises. The findings showed no hazardous substances present.
"We are in the process of clearing the building to turn it back over to Harvard University at this time," Cahill told the outlet.
About 70 other attendees at the concert were unaffected, the department said.
St. Paul’s Church confirmed the choir’s appearance, describing the performance as a mix of sacred, secular and popular French music. The church offered no further comment beyond acknowledging the incident.
