The woman who soothes apes by playing the harp for them

Harpist Terry Tacheny long enjoyed taking her young daughters to Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota - except for the Primate House, where she thought the gorillas, orangutans and monkeys seemed a little lethargic. Her solution: A little music. Now Tacheny, 57, a zoo volunteer, plays once a month for an appreciative audience that ambles down to the barrier as soon as Tacheny begins setting up her beautifully carved wooden harp. A therapeutic harpist, Tacheny plays for hospital patients to help them deal with pain and anxiety. She thought if the soothing sounds helped calm humans, it would work for the primates too.

I don’t speak gorilla, but there’s a gorilla purr that occurs when I begin to play. And that’s their happy sound.

Terry Tacheny

Tami Murphy, a zookeeper at Como, said Tacheny has played for all the animals at the zoo. Some animals appear ambivalent, Murphy said, but the harp music “seems to be a really calming thing for the apes to listen to.” Tacheny says she’s never gotten a negative review from her ape audience, adding: “I’ve never had anything thrown at me,” she said. Right on cue, a male gorilla stares through the fence at the musician, then chews contentedly on vegetation while the music plays. Families stop to snap pictures.

I would love to see every zoo have a harpist. I think it benefits the animals.

Terry Tacheny