“Symphony leaders and philharmonic enthusiasts have long pondered how classical music havens can attract a young, contemporary audience. It seems as though one Lithuanian orchestra has found the solution to top them all. And it comes in the form of a catcerto,” writes Katherine Brooks in Wednesday’s (7/16) Huffington Post. “The Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra, led by conductor and composer Mindaugas Piecaitis, included a cat—yes, a four-legged feline—in one of their ensemble performances…. The adorable collaboration took place in 2009, but a recording of the splendid event has been making its rounds on the internet this week…. The cat was brought in via a giant project video, which showed the thumb-less pet pounding and curling on the keys…. The famous internet musician is Nora the Piano Cat, and she hails from New Jersey. (In case you were interested, she has been watched by over six million YouTube fans, appeared on The Today Show and prefers Yamahas, according to her website.) Meanwhile, in the video, professional violinists and cellists play live in the foreground, following the kitty’s avant-garde concerto. After nearly 4 minutes of adorable ear twitches and gentle stringed instrument ambience, an elated audience erupts in applause.”
Posted July 17, 2014
