Classical Music-Loving Animals to Bring a Smile to Your Face

Humans aren’t the only animals who love big orchestras! Check out our favorite videos of animals dancing along with, singing to, and enjoying classical music.

Musical Tails: 6 Composers Who Wrote Music for Pets

Meet the incredible pets who inspired some of our favorite music!

Now Introducing: The Pets of WFMT

As we’ve turned couches and kitchen tables into our new offices, our furry, feathered, scaly, plant-y and all other non-human friends have been pleased to become our new office assistants. Meet some of WFMT’s new work-from-home teammates.

With Opera Houses Closed, Soprano Sings for Her Alpacas

An audience is an audience, no matter who (or what species) is in it. Case in point: Erin G. McCarthy recently gave a quick recital in her barn to an audience of three alpacas.

Playlist: The Most Creative, Unconventional ‘Ave Maria’s on the Internet

We can’t guarantee that you’ll love (or even like) each and every rendition, but we promise that you will be amazed by the beauty and the broad appeal of Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”

Pet Project: Musician Creates a Playlist for Shelter Animals

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director has gone to the dogs. And the cats.

Video | Loge, the Opera-Loving German Shepherd, Sings Along to Wagner

Tom, of Wilmette, IL, has had German Shepherds for almost forty years, and most of them have been named after characters from Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” Hear his opera-loving dog Loge sing along to Siegfried’s horn call.

Video | Meet Jerry, Río, and Gratia: Three of the Most Graceful Dancers on Four Legs

Jerry, Río, and Gratia are three of the most beautiful dancers you’ll ever see. But unlike most dancers, they perform on four legs, not two.

Video: This Dog Wanted to Hear Mendelssohn Better, So It Took a Seat Next to the First Violinist

Dog image: SixtyWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons This cute Labrador may be the biggest Mendelssohn fan you’ve seen. A dog joined the Vienna Chamber Orchestra during a recent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 at the 31st International İzmir Festival in İzmir, Turkey. This outdoor annual festival brings live concerts to the historic stage of the Grand Theater of Ephesus, …

This Amazon Parrot Singing “‘O Sole Mio” Along With Pavarotti Is All of Us When We Try to Sing Opera

Many musicians have performed the internationally beloved Italian song “‘O Sole Mio.” One songbird, a parrot in fact, performs the Neapolitan tune as a duet with the great Luciano Pavarotti. Composer Eduardo di Capua and lyricist Giovanni Capurro published their composition “‘O Sole Mio” in 1898. Since, it has been recorded by many artists including Andrea Bocelli and Elvis Presley. …

Meet Morgan and Louie, the Adorable, Four-Legged Stars of “The Magic Flute” at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Morgan and Louie get in costume in their dressing room during rehearsals for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute W.C. Fields, who once said, “Never work with children or animals,” has clearly never met Morgan and Louie, the friendly canine stars of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of The Magic Flute. Director Neil Armfield has set the …