Rising to the Top: The Story of a Young Syrian Refugee Turned Musician
By Nur Watad/Contributing Writer
Amongst the 40,000 refugees Canada has welcomed over the past two years, and amid the thousands of families that were scattered all over the country in hopes of settling and starting a new life, a family of four sought refuge and resided in a port city south of Ontario.
Marcel Ward, an 11-year-old boy, now lives in Hamilton with his 12-year-old brother, Elio, and parents. However, what differentiates Marcel from any other Syrian kid that has come to seek refuge from the current war ongoing across the ocean, was his love and passion for playing the piano.
At only 11 years of age, and with only six years of experience, Marcel has proven himself to be a pianist prodigy by the elegant way he plays the instrument. From Chopin to Mozart, Marcel can bewilderingly play each key of a specific song by heart with only a couple hours of practice. Furthermore, he humbly shared that he has composed four songs of his own, which only resulted in me asking more questions.
I was fascinated by the charismatic energy he propelled through the conversation I had with him. During the interview, he offered to play a song, and to my fascination he did. It was a Mozart symphony, one of my all-time favorites, and I was bewildered by how incredibly well he performed.
When I asked him whether he ever gets tired after long hours of practice, and later performing to an audience, I was surprised by his mature remark; he sighed, deliberately saying, “Of course I get tired, but I don’t show the audience that I am.”
I was very intrigued by the drive of passion and motivation Marcel pursues through playing the piano, all thanks to his father. While speaking to him, he explained how when Marcel was only 5 years of age, his father purchased him a small keyboard, essentially to keep him busy and entertain him. However, Marcel’s father wasn’t aware a couple years back that a customary gift would result in Marcel’s aspirations today.
Marcel hopes that in the future, he will be sitting and playing the piano in front of thousands of people. When I told him he has the potential to do that, he laughed, claiming that he wished for that to come true some day.
Over the past year or so, Marcel’s beautiful talent was discovered by local and international news media, such as Al Jazeera, MBC1, CBC, Toronto Star, and more. When asked how he felt about him playing the piano on live TV and being interviewed, he modestly yet joyfully explained that he perceives the interviewer as his friend.
Surely, his statement was true, as for when I was speaking to him, I felt like I was talking to an old friend rather than an 11-year-old boy. Through speaking with him, I was able to feel Marcel vibrate gleeful energy with his carefree and talented yet gracious personality.
Marcel is an illustration of the contribution of refugees to the communities in which they live. Whether through art, music or science, the blend of lifestyles and unique talents, such as those of this young man, serves as a silver lining for a group of people currently facing turmoil.