• A mask with the false air of a bra was invented by a Nantes entrepreneur and president of the Mélodie en Retz choir who wanted to offer better comfort to singers.

  • "Large mask" has the merit of being very soft and of adapting to the shape of the face.

  • In less than a year, the thermoformed fabric mask, with a “very good filtration rate”, has sold tens of thousands of copies to amateur choristers and singing professionals in France and Europe.

There are hundreds of thousands in France who cannot exercise their passion for some, their profession for others, as they would like. How to practice singing during Covid-19? In Bouaye, near Nantes, Bernard Keller decided to look into the seemingly innocuous question. It must be said that the members of the choir of which he is the president, Mélodie en Retz, initially tried to sing with a traditional mask… “Between the humidity, the contact of the lips with the fabric, and the lack of breath , it was very difficult, he recalls. We needed something less awkward, which gave us a sufficient air bubble in front of our nose and mouth ”

The fifty-year-old, at the head of an event company with a forced shutdown, then had the idea of ​​designing his own mask.

And it was to a bra manufacturer (!), Located in Lyon, that he turned last summer.

After two prototypes, he launched the production of this “Large Mask”, which has the merit of being very soft and adapting to the shape of the face.

The news is spreading among the choirs of France who all want to equip themselves with this funny accessory in thermoformed fabric, and with "very good filtration rate".

Result, in barely a year, the milestone of 50,000 sales in France and Europe has just been exceeded, according to its creator.

With a resurgence of orders in recent days (as during the previous deconfinement), at a price of 6 or 7 euros per unit depending on the quantity requested.

Orders for opera singers

It must be said that among professionals too, the ingenious mask is attractive. Because if the performances were interrupted, the rehearsals continued behind the scenes, obviously without escaping the barrier gestures. Many operas have therefore ordered to try to improve the comfort of their choristers. "A singer must feel at ease to perform well, he needs a breathable mask which alters his vocal quality as little as possible," explains the health and safety manager of one of them. For some singers, Le Grand masque fulfills these specifications, even if it is not necessary to lie: it is always experienced as an embarrassment. "

In Bouaye, this activity will have allowed Bernard Keller to "pass the confinement without incident, and without requesting any aid from the State" for his company.

If the Ministry of Culture has announced the resumption of singing lessons on July 1 (and since May 19 for individual lessons), distancing and wearing a mask should remain in effect for a while.

"I hope that this activity will remain ephemeral," confides Bernard Keller.

All I wish is that we don't need a mask anymore!

To be able to sing together, as before.

"

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