Katrina’s Beautiful Music

July 21st, 2024

A smile. A kind word. A beautiful piece of music. You never know when something you put into the world might be the very thing someone else needs in that moment. Whether over the airways or in a shopping mall.

If you’re ever up late and tuned to KVNO, you’ve likely heard calming and relaxing music on “Nocturnes” heard 10 pm-2 am Monday-Thursday and 11 pm-3am Sundays. And that soothing voice behind the microphone? That’s Katrina Naraine. Many of you have told us that “Nocturnes” is just the cozy program to keep you company to help you drift off to sleep.

Did you know? As an accomplished musician Katrina also regularly performs calming and uplifting music at Von Maur located at Omaha’s Westroads Mall. If you’ve strolled past the escalators at Von Maur you’ve no doubt heard the music coming from the grand piano—as one of six pianists in rotation, Katrina performs anywhere from twelve to sixteen days a month.

Recently, a few of us from KVNO stopped by to take a listen. And to capture some of her performance on video. A dad paused with his young daughter to take a listen, smiling as they eventually went back to their shopping. One woman smiled as she sat on a nearby couch, simply being in the moment.

A few days after we were there, Lisa Mueller, of Omaha, had this to say about hearing Katrina perform:

“I met Katrina—and her music—at a poignant moment.”

Lisa’s dad had just been moved to hospice care the same week her niece—her dad’s oldest granddaughter—was getting married. “Life is like that,” she said. “Your heart can be filled with joy and sadness at the same time.”

Meanwhile, Lisa’s mom had not yet gotten a dress for the wedding and was heartbroken she would now be unable to walk into the church with her partner of 51 years. But Lisa still wanted her mom to have a dress. So Lisa snuck away to Van Maur in hopes of finding one.

As she walked through the doors, a wave of soft music washed over her. “It wasn’t just some pre-recorded tune playing over the system,” Lisa said. “This was different. It was live. It was real. It was authentic. And it was lovely.”

She went on to describe Katrina’s music like a warm and comforting ray of sunshine on a stormy day.

Lisa’s grandmother had also been a pianist and once demonstrated how a piece could be played correctly by the notes and timing on the sheet music, but then, how one could perform the same work with “feeling,” breathing life into the piece and transcending the music to a higher level.

For Lisa, Katrina’s music was played with “feeling” and it was just what she needed in that moment. “It felt like a hug from my grandma,” Lisa said. “I needed a hug.”

Lisa continued: “We walk around in our daily lively weaving in and out of the paths of so many people. Do we ever really know the significance the impact our interactions bring? And yet sometimes even the smallest most seemingly everyday occurrences matter. We matter more than we think.”