“I’ve never seen animals react to my music like that,” Clejan remarked. With 27 years of violin experience and performances in numerous venues for diverse audiences — not all of them human — Clejan has encountered various responses from animals in the past. However, recently, he stumbled upon his most captivated audience yet.
Clejan was at his favorite park, preparing to record a video of himself playing violin near the water. He noticed a solitary turtle swimming nearby and decided to play a song for it. As Clejan began to play, the turtle appeared to listen intently — and soon, other turtles started to join in.
“One by one, little turtle heads started popping up all around,” Clejan recalled. Before long, he had an audience of ten turtles thoroughly enjoying his music.
“I’ve never had animals react to my music like that in real-time,” Clejan remarked. “It was a truly special experience to connect with them in that way and see how they appreciated the music.”
Clejan has returned multiple times to serenade the turtles, and each time, they’ve shown great enthusiasm for his performances.
“I intend to continue playing for them regularly,” Clejan expressed.
He has started sharing his turtle performances on TikTok, and the reactions have been as surprising to others as they were to him.
“There’s been a lot of positivity; people have said the videos brightened their day, made them believe in magic…” Clejan noted. “Some speculate that the turtles are simply looking for food. Regardless, it certainly feels like they stick around to enjoy the music.”