Paris Opera musicians serenade public in pensions protest

Musicians of the Paris Opera's orchestra play an improvised open-air concert outside the Opera Garnier to protest the government's proposed pension reform, which affects the state-employed musicians' special status in Paris, France, January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

PARIS (Reuters) - Striking musicians and singers of the Paris Opera staged an open-air concert on Saturday in front of the city's historic opera house in protest against a pension reform that seeks to end their special retirement scheme.

Orchestra members and singers performed well-known airs by Verdi and Bizet in a half-hour event outside the Opera Garnier building, ending with a rendition of the Marseillaise.