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Orchestra accompanies Nora the cat playing piano in professionally composed 'CATcerto'

Nora recently crossed the rainbow bridge, but her musical legacy lives on.

Photo by Andrea Merovich on Unsplash

Ever seen a cat play the piano with an orchestra?

We've seen a lot of musical cat content here at Upworthy, from The Kiffness blowing us all away with his cat howling duets to a boys choir singing a 19th century opera about a cat fight composed entirely of meows. But somehow we missed one of the greatest cat collaborations ever—Nora the piano-playing cat being accompanied by an entire professional chamber orchestra.

In a video resurfaced from 2009, we see Lithuanian composer and conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis leading the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in an original piece composed by him…and Nora the Piano Cat. A large screen hanging behind the orchestra shows Nora at the piano, waiting through the orchestral introduction with her paws on the keys before finally beginning to play her part of the CATcerto.

Of course, we can see that the piece has been composed around Nora's notes and not the other way around, but the effect is extraordinary. Nora is making music, and Piecaitis has embellished and illuminated it with his expert artistic ear.

The piece is a musical journey, from a slow haunt to an upbeat romp and several layers in between. If you close your eyes, you might not even realize the piano is being played by a cat. Even the dissonant chords sound good with Piecaitis arrangement, and it's an impressive feat both for the cat and the composer. (Piecaitis even got to go meet with Nora in person a few years after their collaborative performance. And of course, in typical cat fashion, she only played a couple of notes for him. Nobody can make a cat do anything, including play the piano, which makes Nora's videos all the more delightful.)

Watch and enjoy:

Sadly, Nora crossed the rainbow bridge in February of 2024, after a good, long 19 years with her humans, Betsy and Burnell. As the couple tells it, Nora had been a rescue cat, and one day they heard some repeated notes coming from the piano. The piano playing became a regular hobby for the gray tabby, and after one of Betsy's piano students suggested she share Nora's special talents on YouTube, she became one of the earliest viral video stars.

The "CATcerto" is but one of many Nora the Piano Cat creations, which span from books to artwork, and she's even the main character in an upcoming animated children's show.

"She may be an animated character now and she will live on, but she was real," Betsy told ABC 6 News in Philadelphia. "I just think she wanted to send a message about the importance of music and creativity in the world and I think she will inspire a whole generation of young musicians and artists."

Who wouldn't be inspired by a sweet kitty plunking away on the piano with her paws? Watch Nora's humans describe what she meant to them and the series that's currently in the works:

You can follow Nora the Piano Cat on YouTube.


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Man's through-the-wall piano duet with a mystery neighbor became a beautiful love story

Giorgio Lo Porto/TikTok

Sometimes the right two people come along at the right time in each other's lives, and a story for the ages is born. But it's rare that we get to see such stories captured in real-time.

This time we're lucky. In a silent saga befitting a Pixar short film—complete with soundtrack—a TikToker and his mystery neighbor have taken us all on a beautiful journey of music, love, longing, and loss.

Giorgio Lo Porto is an Italian living in London, and on February 6, he shared a video of his new neighbor playing piano. The music is muffled behind their shared wall, but clear enough to hear. Lo Porto wrote that he left a note for the mystery neighbor, telling them he loved their music and asking if they could play "My Heart Will Go On." And so they did.

@giorgio_lp_ ##fyp ##foryou ##piano ##uk ##love ##neighbour ##talent ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

Lo Porto left another note suggesting that they play something together, each in their own apartments. A call-and-response duet of sorts. He didn't know if they'd do it, or if they'd forget when the time came. He also said he himself hadn't played in months. But he started playing at 2pm, and as soon as he stopped, the neighbor began.

@giorgio_lp_ It was really fun ##fyp ##foryou ##music ##piano ##neighbour ##duet ##love ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

Their duets became a weekend "meet up," playing back and forth through their shared wall.

You can watch a compilation of the performance below but keep reading because there is so much more to this beautiful story:


Two neighbours playing piano between a wall - Giorgio and Emilwww.youtube.com



Seems like a perfect meet-cute in a romantic comedy, doesn't it?

@giorgio_lp_ Lockdown weekends hit different now 🎶 ##fyp ##foryou ##music ##love ##lockdown ##piano ##neighbour ##duet ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

On Valentine's Day, they played a duet and Lo Porto wrote "It's Valentine's Day. We're in lockdown. This was our way of saying, I don't know who you are but I'm here. You're not alone."

Then it came time for them to meet.

@giorgio_lp_ 💙 ##fyp ##foryou ##valentinesday ##love ##music ##neighbour ##piano ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

"Well, today I have met my neighbor," Lo Porto wrote in a video shared on February 21. "It was better than expected."

"His name is Emil..."

@giorgio_lp_ I wasn't surprised - I knew there was a special soul behind that wall ##fyp ##foryou ##music ##neighbour ##love ##piano ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

"He is 78 years old, originally from Poland. This is his temporary accommodation while he waits for his house to be sold."

"He lost his wife in December due to COVID," Lo Porto shared. "And all he has left is the piano. And the reason why he plays at 2pm every weekend is because his wife loved it."

"He thanked me for keeping him motivated and less lonely. And I promised that I'll play with him until he moves out."

"He is camera shy," he added. "But I'll try again when he's ready."

@giorgio_lp_ We feel the love from all of you ##fyp ##foryou ##piano ##music ##neighbour ##uk ##foryoypage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

Lo Porto shared that Emil is "a special soul" and that "he is fine now, healing." And his piano playing is just gorgeous.

Playing with Emil inspired Lo Porto to write his own song. "I woke up with 3 notes in my head," he wrote on February 27.

@giorgio_lp_ ##fyp ##foryou ##piano ##neighbours ##love ##music ##motivation ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

He added some string orchestration to it and called it "Dear Emil." It's the first song he's ever written.

"When I wrote this piece I started picturing Emil's life," he wrote. "A 78 y.o. widower who lost his wife due to this stupid virus. Spending days at home alone due to lockdown. Looking forward to play her favourite piano songs at 2pm every weekend, until a note appeared on his door. A letter showing he was heard and not alone. And a new friendship started. Two pianos between a wall, not knowing who was playing. But it didn't matter."

"You can be the light of somebody else's darkness. So keep shining."

@giorgio_lp_ Dear Emil ##fyp ##foryou ##piano ##music ##original ##neighbour##love ##foryoupa
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

On February 26, Lo Porto announced that Emil was moving out the following week, and shared their last weekend duet—the much requested "Moonlight Sonata."

He said Emil still didn't want to be on camera, but said he was much happier and thanked everyone who had been watching their duets. Lo Porto promised he would keep playing for him on the weekends.

@giorgio_lp_ It's been a great journey ##fyp ##foryou ##piano ##music ##neighbour ##love ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

It would be lovely if the story ended there, but it doesn't. (May need a tissue now if you haven't already grabbed one.)

Lo Porto shared on March 14th that he'd received word that Emil had passed away in his sleep: "And now he is reunited with his wife."

"Dear Emil," he wrote. "I knew very little about you, but you changed my life. You gave me back my passion, and we shared that with the world. You'll be in my heart. I'll keep playing, thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you've been mine too. Bye, Emil."

@giorgio_lp_ Bye Emil 💛 ##fyp ##foryou ##music ##neighbours ##piano ##love ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - Giorgio Lo Porto

If you needed a good cry today, hope that helped. And if you needed a reminder that humans can be wonderful and life can connect us in beautiful and mysterious ways, now you've got one.

Lo Porto says he will have a full version of "Dear Emil" up on YouTube soon. You can listen to it on Spotify as well.

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They say it takes practice to play Carnegie Hall. This 13-year-old has done it 3 times.

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Ad Council + Understood.org

Some people spend their entire lives dreaming of the chance to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall.

The lights. The sights. The history. The audience roaring with applause. If you get the chance to play there, you know you're doing it right.

Pianist Sriram Narayanan might as well receive a frequent performer card for his time spent on stage there.

All images via Sunanda Narayanan, used with permission.

Sriram has dazzled audiences at Carnegie Hall not once, not twice, but THREE times.  Did I mention he's only 13 years old?

That's quite an accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone who's barely considered a teenager. But Sriram thrives under the pressure. For a child with other challenges, music has been an incredible outlet for him.

"He doesn't get nervous," said his piano teacher, Tatyana Dudochkin of the New England Conservatory. "He enjoys performing so much for an audience and sharing his joy. He absolutely loves when people clap and cheer for him."

And cheer for him they do.

He's always practicing!

Sriram's success is a testament to the power of patience and encouragement — especially with kids.

Learning is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal for many children, including Sriram. As a toddler, Sriram was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder (APD) — a condition an estimated 5-7% of children live with today. APD can make it difficult to recognize sounds in words, understand the messages of others, remember information presented verbally, and localize sounds, among other things.

That means for people living with APD, it can take a little bit more time to figure out directions, complete a homework assignment, or memorize a new song on the piano. But just as we all learn differently, those with APD do too, and patience and understanding from others helps to play a big role in their development.

It's what helped Sriram find his own path.

"I just started to work with him and it was difficult," said his teacher Tatyana, "but he loved learning the music I played for him and he was very passionate about it. When I pushed him to do even more, he did it, and it helped to build a lot of confidence."

Sriram and his teacher, Tatyana Dudochkin.

Sriram found an area where he shines — and that has helped him in every aspect of his life.

When Sriram was encouraged to start doing competitions, it took him to a whole new level. In addition to the competitions that have landed him at Carnegie Hall, he has won many others, including receiving honorable mention as the youngest contestant of the 2016 "Newton Has Talent."

Between his family, his music mentors, his school Learning Prep, and others, he knows he has a community of support behind him in his journey.

It's important for children to be able to explore various hobbies and interests while they're young. Every kid is different — living with APD or not — and you never know what will stick.

When Sriram was 4, his mom, Sunanda gave him a keyboard that was destined for the trash. She thought it would keep him occupied for a while. What she didn't realize was the path it would lead him on.

"All of a sudden he was teaching himself songs from 'The Sound of Music' by ear," she said.

Fast forward nine years later, he's showing us all what he can do from the big bright stage.

As Sunanda says, "It is amazing to see him be social and to show off his talent. Music is going to be a very integrated part of his life."

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