Chicago Sinfonietta string quartet serenades beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium
When one thinks of baby beluga whales and music, one surely thinks first of Raffi.
The song and the album "Baby Beluga" are 45 years old now, but any Instagram or TikTok video of the beluga whales at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium or anywhere else are likely to be set to the Canadian children's musician's calming baritone: "Baby beluga in the deep blue sea, you swim so wild and you swim so free…."
But when a string quartet from the Chicago Sinfonietta visited the Shedd Aquarium recently, they did not play "Baby Beluga." They did not play "Down by the Bay," "The Corner Grocery Store," or "Bananaphone" either. As seen in a video clip provided by the Shedd on Thursday, they played Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, also known as the Pastoral Symphony, in the Shedd's Abbott Oceanarium as the beluga whales swam and came up for air right behind them.
The recent surprise visit from the Chicago Sinfonietta was inspired by the recent naming of the Shedd's new beluga calf, Opus. The name, chosen by Shedd Aquarium members, in turn honored Opus' father, Beethoven.
Before the aquarium opened on a recent day, Chicago Sinfonietta players performed around the Secluded Bay habitat at the Oceanarium, where the beluga whales live. Two of the musicians entered the habitat and played for the adult whales, while a cellist played some pieces specifically for Opus.
Shedd Aquarium/Rachel Mittelstaedt
Shedd Aquarium/Rachel Mittelstaedt
Belugas, the Shedd noted, are known as "canaries of the sea," and can produce a variety of sounds that they use to communicate and navigate.
"Belugas have a natural connection to sound, so we were very curious to see what they would make of the musicians," Megan Vens-Policky, an animal care supervisor with Shedd Aquarium, said in a news release. "We are always thinking about creative ways to provide the belugas with enrichment — new sounds, sights and experiences that keep them active and add novelty to their day. This partnership was a fun opportunity to share something the belugas may have never seen or heard before."
Later the same morning, the quartet from the Chicago Sinfonietta performed as guests came in — providing surprise and delight for everyone who came to the Shedd Aquarium that day.
"As an orchestra known for its innovative concerts and creative programming withing the community, Chicago Sinfonietta is pleased to form a new collaboration with an historic landmark in our community, Shedd Aquarium," Wendy Lewis, interim chief executive officer of Chicago Sinfonietta, said in the release. "Both Chicago organizations are committed to curating important and thoughtful ways to innovate, inspire and ignite interest in our world and to protect it for the future through artful communication. The opportunity to experience the amazing sounds of our orchestra while in the presence of the majestic beluga whale was unforgettable."
Shedd Aquarium/Rachel Mittelstaedt
Shedd Aquarium/Rachel Mittelstaedt
Shedd Aquarium/Rachel Mittelstaedt
Chicago Sinfonietta has partnered with the Shedd Aquarium before. In 2009, the orchestra and the aquarium partnered to commission the adventuresome suite "Aquadia," by composer Michael Abels. "Aquadia" accompanied a live show at the Oceanarium as it reopened at the time following an extensive renovation.
And if you're wondering about the Raffi song, the children's troubadour wrote that he was inspired to write "Baby Beluga" following a touching meeting with a famous beluga whale named Kavna at the Vancouver Aquarium in 1979. Two years later, Raffi wrote, he sang "Baby Beluga" to Kavna in a CBC TV special.
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