Hope of Hartford

Paul Barton moved to Thailand for three months to teach piano at a private school. While he was there, he met Kwhan, a wildlife artist and animal lover. They fell in love, got married, and decided to stay. That was 22 years ago. These days Paul plays piano for sick, abused, retired and rescued residents of Elephant World, a Thai elephant sanctuary. He says the younger elephants appear to prefer quick, lively tunes, like ragtime. The older ones seem to respond to slower, more expressive numbers, like Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" or Debussy’s "Clair de Lune." "If you want to get on friendly terms with an elephant,” Paul says, “The first time you meet you give bananas. They’ll memorize your scent and think of you as a friend the next time you’re together.” Paul knows there are inherent dangers being near such massive creatures, especially the temperamental bulls. But these are the animals that seem to love his music most.