Finnish musicians perform classical concert for horses in experimental session

Two musicians from the Lapland Chamber Orchestra staged a private classical concert for three horses in a northern Finland stable on Tuesday, testing how the animals would respond to live cello and double bass performances, Yle reports.

Cellist Heidi Rahkonen and double bassist Lauri Angervo played compositions by Barrière, Bach, and Dragonetti for Rahkonen’s horses—Timppa, Dino, and Croisos Pennonen—in an indoor arena. The animals initially reacted with curiosity, with Croisos approaching the musicians after a moment of hesitation, while Dino and Timppa observed from a distance. As the performance continued, the horses displayed signs of relaxation, including yawning, mutual grooming, and urination.

“Croisos might have just been wondering what on earth I was doing there with that instrument instead of bringing him a treat like usual,” Rahkonen said. “Normally, he expects me to show up with food so we can go riding.”

The experiment was inspired by the musicians’ past observations of animals reacting to music. Rahkonen recalled her late cat often sitting beside her bassoon during home practice sessions, while Angervo described secretly bringing a pet rat named Epeli—a stray he had found in a Berlin subway—to rehearsals and concerts. “He loved the vibrations of the cello,” Angervo said.

Scientific research on animals’ musical preferences remains inconclusive. While some studies suggest music can raise serotonin levels in horses or calm dogs with slow-tempo compositions, other findings indicate that human music often fails to appeal to animals. Tamarin monkeys and orangutans, for example, have shown a preference for silence over music in controlled experiments, though rats exposed to jazz under the influence of cocaine exhibited positive responses.

Niina Heinonen, an audience member at the equine concert, reflected on the limitations of human perception. “We assume our own experiences define what’s right, but we don’t truly grasp how much more animals sense than we do,” she said.

Angervo floated the idea of expanding the experiment, proposing a full chamber orchestra performance for horses in the future. “It could be incredible,” he said.