Piano-playing cat Nora becomes internet hit

A piano-playing cat called Nora has become an internet sensation after a concerto was written for her.

By Ian Johnston
Published: 9:03PM BST 22 Aug 2009

The five-year-old tabby, from Philadelphia, played the role of the soloist in a performance of Lithuanian conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis' first composition, called CATcerto, accompanied by the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra.

Videos have been posted on YouTube and, in all, nearly 20 million people have watched Nora play. She has made the television talk show circuit and has videos, two books, her own web site, a blog, three calendars, mugs, greeting cards, T-shirts and posters under her belt.

Nora clearly enjoys making sounds on the piano and a film is then edited together to enable the piece to be performed with the orchestra playing live.

The cat, who has an agent, is owned by piano teacher Betsy Alexander, 53, and her artist-photographer husband Burnell Yow. They live in a house with five other cats: Gabby, Max, Rennie, Miro and Clara.

"She loves visitors. She is a very gracious performer and she feels indebted to her public," Miss Alexander said.

"She plays in rhythm and on key. She plays in the same area of the keyboard as the person on the other piano and when the student stops, she stops.

"More often than not, she is in the same octave as the student. Sometimes she plays loudly, softly, quickly, slowly."

Nora releases the key instead of pounding it, said Miss Alexander, who has been swamped by cat owners who want her to teach their cats how to play.

A music teacher in Japan wrote to say Nora, who purrs when she plays, had superb technique and she used Nora as an example to her students on how to strike the keys.

http://www.catcerto.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6074419/Piano-playing-cat-Nora-becomes-internet-hit.html