In Denmark, grazing is alive with the sound of music

A herd of cows gather as cellist Jacob Shaw (L) and violinist Roberta Verna (R) play a concert of classical music in Stevns, Denmark.

A concert for cows? Unable to perform during the pandemic, a cellist in Denmark turned to an unusual audience, an experience so rewarding that he is continuing even after concert halls have reopened. ‘Playing for cows is a continuation of what I've always done in my solo career: I'm passionate about taking classical music out of the concert hall,’ Jacob Shaw told AFP. The British musician, who is also a professor at the Marshall Academy in Barcelona, has set up a cello school in the rural countryside in Stevns, an hour south of Copenhagen, performing throughout the region. ‘During corona, of course, it wasn't always possible and we decided to move on to the next best thing: playing for animals,’ the 30-year-old said.