Pictures of young, musical talents from Scandinavian Cello School, who play classical music for cows in a barn at Stevns, have traveled the world and have been seen by millions.
The separate images have also focused on the deeply serious, musical project behind and are now boosting the founder of the school, Jacob Shaws,’s plans to build a concert hall in the small town of Lund on Stevns, where the school is located.
He says this after stories about the concerts for cows have been in the New York Times, on CNN, The Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeitung, among others.
– Already the day after the New York Times brought the article, I was contacted by benefactors from the US and potential investors from the UK. There is a lot of interest from music lovers.
– So with all this interest, we are of course now trying to create even more interest in getting partners – also Danish – to the concert hall, says Jacob Shaw.
Scandinavian Cello School is located by the small village of Lund on Stevns with a view of Møn. Here, talents from all over the world gather who cultivate their music and develop their talent in an informal setting.
With the tremendous attention in recent weeks, Jacob Shaw believes that it is now time to raise around six million kroner to expand with a concert hall.
– It has been a dream to start a concert hall since I was ten years old. And a few years ago, I thought the place here would be a great place to do that.
– It is an area in strong development, located an hour from the airport and has a new railway. And now it is clear that there is a market for it and a demand, says Jacob Shaw.
Jacob Shaw is himself an internationally recognized cellist who discovered Stevns when he lived in Denmark from 2011.
Throughout his career, he has worked to bring classical music out of its usual framework to, for example, prisons or senior centers.
It is the same thought that lies behind the weekly concerts for cows. It arose when coronary restrictions put an end to concerts for humans. However, the concerts are not just for the sake of the cows.
– The idea is that if we can take our musicians to surprising and perhaps a little strange places, then they do not think so much about the technical aspects.
– They find that when they are completely relaxed and maybe even laugh a little at the absurdity while playing, they are not stressed and worried. And that memory they can take with them when they have to play concerts, says Jacob Shaw and concludes:
– They know that if they can deliver at the highest level in a cold cowshed, then they can also on stage in the Royal Albert Hall.