MATTEO EL KHODR, countertenor opera singer and actor. @ matteoelkhodr

How are you living your lockdown?

I was recording THE VOICE in Paris, went for concerts in Germany and Switzerland and as soon as I stepped in Beirut, the airport closed, and the lockdown started! I am living the confinement in my home in Mar Mikhael in Beirut. Thank god I created a lovely home, it’s so pleasant to be locked down in a nice place!

I gave myself more time: I decided to watch Game of Thrones! Finally!

I started painting again! I sing, I train, fix some stuff in my apartment, catch up with some old friends, write and read books (I am re-reading my classics!) and some amazing quality time with my family and my partner.

From your active life, what do you miss the most?

I mostly miss my concerts: singing alone is not quite the same as singing to an audience or a concert hall full of people! I posted many videos of me singing during quarantine, but it will never replace the 12 concerts scheduled for Easter all over Europe! (And I miss gathering with my friends!)

What don't you miss?

The traffic of course, the stress and the hectic life! I am really scared of the after-confinement effect! Frustrations can create terrible things! I live in a brutal neighborhood where car horns and people are everywhere. It’s been a while I haven’t heard the birds, had my coffee on my balcony or opened the windows at night!

How do you think life will be after Corona?

I think we have two options: ignorant people will go back to normal life as if nothing happened and clever people would have learned a valuable lesson: take care of our beautiful nature, stay safe and most of all take good advantage of our time and our families.

A word of encouragement to our readers

Don’t forget the essential things in life, don’t get carried away by stupid and shallow things: the simplest things are the most important and we all rediscovered them during the confinement. Stay safe and love you all!