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Nora The Piano Cat Purr-etry Contest!

Nora The Piano Cat

Dear friends and fans,

I know I have inspired many of you to pursue your musical dreams, but there are so many ways to be sublimely creative. What about poetry? All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper (or your handy laptop computer) to begin your creative journey! So I am hoping you will consider entering my Nora The Piano Cat Poetry Contest. The rules are really quite simple:

1) Write a poem about me or inspired by me. It can be long or short, rhyming or not. It can even be a haiku.

2) Email the poem to me at norapoetry@verizon.net no later than midnight, October 1, 2010. You can enter as often as you like.

3)> Be sure to include your age, name, and a contact email. If you are under eighteen years old, please include the name of your parent or legal guardian, and their contact email (with their permission of course). Email addresses are only used to contact the winners in each age group. You will NOT be placed on any mailing lists and your contact information will not be shared with anyone else, ever, for any reason.

My personal assistants, Betsy and Burnell, and I will read every single glorious poem and choose our absolute top three favorites in the following age categories:

1) Up to 8 years old. (Kids)

2) 9 to 12 years old. (Tweens)

3) 13 to 18 years old. (Teens)

4) 19 and up. (Everyone else)

All twelve winners will receive very special Nora Prizes. We will also give a special prize to the person submitting the best Nora or Nora-inspired haiku.

In addition to the prizes awarded to the winners in each category, the winning poems will also be included in my “Inspired by Nora” 2012 calendar. Winners will each receive a copy.

Submission of a poem signifies your acceptance of the above rules, and allows either me or my personal assistants, Betsy and Burnell, to print, reprint and otherwise distribute the poem for promotional purposes, including the creation of the 2012 “Inspired by Nora” calendar.

Don’t delay. Send your Nora-inspired poems to norapoetry@verizon.net by midnight, October 1, 2010. Winners will be notified by October 31, 2010.

Download the “Purr-etry Contest” flyer in PDF format by clicking HERE. Share it with your friends. Viewing or printing PDFs requires Adobe Reader, which is a free download from Adobe.com

Textbook Publisher to Use image of Moi…

Nora The Piano Cat


Sviesa, a publisher of textbooks for school children in Lithuania (remember CATcerto and composer Mindaugas Piecaitis – he’s from Lithuania), is using a photograph of yours truly in an upcoming book on music titled The Labyrinth of Music. It’s intended for students in the 5th form in secondary school. So, I would love to hear from any of my student fans in Lithuania. Let me know when the book is published, and be sure to let me know how you like the photo.

"Beautiful Mew-sic" by Rose Gates…

Nora The Piano Cat

(From The Sun Chronicle by Rose Gates) If you are a cat lover with a computer you have surely heard of Nora, the piano playing cat from Pennsylvania. The gray tabby’s YouTube video has been viewed over 20 million times! Sure, you say, any cat can walk across the keys of a piano and produce a few notes. However, once you see Nora at the piano, you have to agree that her musical ability is impressive. She sits intently at the piano bench and uses both of her paws to play. She appears to be enjoying herself immensely and choosing the keys with deliberation.
(read more…)

You may contact Rose Gates at UsedCatSalesman@aol.com

Now Appearing On Your Firefox Browser…

Nora The Piano Cat

Whoa! I can’t believe it. Burnell has my eyes staring back at him from the top of his Firefox browser window. How’d he do that? It’s something called Personas. They are easy-to-install, easy-to-use themes that change the look of your Firefox web browser. There are thousands of Personas to choose from, and you can create and submit custom ones. Turns out that’s what Burnell did.

So, if you use the Firefox browser and would like to enhance your browsing experience, hop on over to http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/115659 and get started.

 

Yamaha Music Students to Recieve Nora's Guide…

Nora The Piano Cat

Yamaha Music School of BostonSomething wonderful is about to happen. The Yamaha Music School of Boston will be distributing copies of my book, Nora The Piano Cat’s Guide to Becoming a Good Musician, to four and five-year-old students. I’m very excited about hearing from the students once they receive the books, and Yamaha has said there will even be photos of some of the children that I will be able to share with you all. I’ll definitely keep you posted.

Nora's GuideThe book (pictured to the right) features a photograph of yours truly on the cover by artist/photographer Burnell Yow!. Burnell is also one of my personal assistants. It is, indeed, very helpful to surround oneself with talented folks, don’t you think?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••
Nora The Piano Cat’s Guide to Becoming a Good Musician is available from Amazon.com.

Artist Toby Fraley comes to visit…

Nora The Piano Cat

Well, of course you recognize me at the piano. But who, you may ask, are those two young people smiling for the camera? That’s Lauren & Toby. They’re a young couple from Pittsburgh, both artists, who stopped by to meet me and to drop off new artwork for Burnell and Betsy. One of the pieces is that clock on the corner of the piano. It was made by Toby. Finally, B&B bought a piece of art that I can relate to; it has a dead bird on it! (Click the thumbnail to view larger image.) How cool is that? The other piece is a robot straddling a rocket. It’s all made from found objects. It’s a much bigger piece and Burnell hasn’t take a photo yet. I’m sure he’ll post it on his blog very soon.

In the meantime, check out Toby’s website and his artwork at http://www.tobyatticusfraley.com

My Very First Webcam Photo…

Nora The Piano Cat

This is me and Burnell in my very first webcam photo. How in the world I managed to avoid this all these years, I haven’t a clue. Could be that I’m mostly sleeping on Betsy’s computer chair. Today I just happened to be on Burnell’s, and when he picked me up to sit down, I just happened to ask about that funny-looking thing on top of his computer monitor. Next thing I know, he’s telling me to say cheese. Now, saying cheese and eating cheese are two very different things. But I did as he asked (his demands are few), and the next thing I knew this image popped up on the screen. And I thought that "piano" was the only magic word. 🙂

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the WESTCHESTER CAT SHOW

Nora The Piano Cat
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the WESTCHESTER CAT SHOW
FURTHER INFO & PHOTOS CONTACT: Leslie Masson, l.masson@verizon.net or (914) 739-5408

NORA the PIANO CAT to star at Westchester Cat Show ‘Shelter Aid’ Concert. But will she will purrform?

White Plains, NY — You can sit a cat at a piano, but can you make her purrform? On Saturday, Nov. 21st, for the first time in her brief yet illustrious musical career, Nora, the piano-playing cat, will star in a benefit concert, being dubbed “Shelter Aid”, live from the Westchester Cat Show in White Plains, New York. The concert promises to be the highlight of the festivities as Nora is honored as the 2009 Westchester Cat Show “Cat of the Year” for her unique feline musical talent. Nora will perform live via webcam from her piano at home in Philadelphia, PA, and she’ll be joined by her accompanist and owner Betsy Alexander, who’ll be accepting Nora’s award on stage at the Westchester Cat Show. As we all know, cats will be cats, and if Nora happens not to be musically inclined at the moment, we may just get to see her sitting at her grand piano watching us and enjoying Betsy’s performance. But with any luck, Nora will find the right key!

Nora’s fans and all cat lovers are invited to attend the Cat Show on Saturday, November 21 and see the Cat of the Year presentation ceremony and Nora’s concert live at 1:00PM. As 2009 Cat of the Year, Nora will receive the first “Scarlett Ribbon”, designed specially to honor the memory of the Cat Show’s first Cat of the Year, Scarlett, who in 1998 courageously saved her five kittens from a burning building. Scarlett’s owner, Karen Wellen, will present the “Scarlett Ribbon”.

If you can’t attend the show, Cat of the Year ceremonies and the “Shelter Aid” benefit concert will be broadcast on www.ustream.tv live at 1:00PM EST (search Shelter Aid). Replays will be available later. Viewers who watch and enjoy are encouraged to go to www.westchester-feline.org to make a donation of any amount to support metro New York area shelters and animal welfare groups selected by the non-profit Westchester Feline Club, producers of the annual Cat Show, and by Nora herself. These organizations are always stretched to the limits, but in our current difficult economic climate they are in desperate need of additional support. The Westchester Cat Show has a tradition of generosity for 34 years that you can help continue, just by watching Nora’s concert on the web, or, even better, attending the show, Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, at the County Center in White Plains, New York. Proceeds from the Westchester Cat Show go back to help local animal assistance organizations.

The Westchester Cat Show is one of the most prestigious shows in the Northeast, showcasing 230 championship cats and kittens, representing the majority of the 55 breeds recognized by The International Cat Association. The competition is tough, with all entrants measuring up to strict breed standards. In the special Household Pet Competition however, it’s all about personality and looks, which makes this a fan favorite.

Back by popular demand this year at the Westchester Cat Show is the Meow Wear Feline Fashion Revue, a light-hearted and fun presentation by Meow Wear designer, Carla Reiss and the Westchester Cat Show feline supermodels in over-the-top costumes, both Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.

Another exciting happening for all to enjoy at the show this year is a Pet Book Autograph Party, featuring over 20 authors, at the special Cat Writer’s Association Book Store, on Saturday, from 3pm-5pm. Favorite cat books, autographed and in some cases pawtographed, will make great holiday gifts for loved ones, or yourself!

Other returning features of the Westchester Cat Show include the Meow Marketplace for holiday shopping, Ask The Vet booth, and Carole Wilbourn, the ‘Cat Whisperer’. For children, Shelter Cat Birthday Parties and Face Painting will entertain. There will be cats and kittens available for adoption from shelters and for sale by breeders. Behavior training, pet bereavement and acupuncture lecturers will educate show goers.

The Westchester Cat Show, Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, 10am-5pm
Westchester County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains, NY
Tickets sold at the door: Adults $12, Seniors $9, Children (6-12) $5.
Public Transit: Westchester BeeLine Bus System to the door; walk from Metro-North White Plains Station.

For driving directions, call (914) 995-4050, or go to www.countycenter.biz.
For all other Cat Show information, call (914) 739-5408 or e-mail: westchestercatshow@verizon.net
Visit the Westchester Cat Show at www.westchester-feline.org.
11/11/2009 #####

Nora Named Cat of the Year by ASPCA…

Nora The Piano Cat

NoraHeadOnKeys

I feel tremendously honored and humbled to have been named “Cat of the Year” for 2009 by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). My personal assitants, Burnell and Betsy, will be accepting the award on my behalf at an upcoming luncheon at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

If I have inspired even one person to adopt a shelter cat like myself, than all those hours at the piano have, indeed, been worth it. And while not all cats can play the piano, we all need a loving and safe home.

http://www.aspca.org/pressroom/press-releases/101509-1.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2009/10/16/2009-10-16_nora.html