‘Novel Voices’ by Carr-Petrova / #50Days4Refugees — Jelling Denmark, Part2

The Novel Voices Refugee Aid Project, created and directed by the Carr-Petrova Duo, is designed to give voice and visibility, through music and film, to the lives and struggles of both local and international refugee communities, and to encourage audiences and artists alike to become connected and involved.

The #50Days4Refugees podcast series walks through the Duo’s past year of travels with the Novel Voices Refugee Aid Project. The 10 episodes cover 50 days for listeners to meet and engage with the people, places, life-stories, cultures, music, and organizations associated with refugee camps and and communities around the globe.

Listen to this week’s 10.14.2019 Novel Voices podcast with violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova. Part 2 from the Jelling Camp, Denmark

Because music has such an uplifting, community-building effect, it was easy for the duo to forget amidst their camp visits, the abundance of darkness and sadness which was so often staring them in the face. It was hard for their psyches to consolidate the innocent smiles they saw together with the knowledge of what those smiles had already experienced at such a young age.

On their second day in the Jelling Refugee Camp, the duo greeted the children as they entered the Jelling Red Cross School classroom, and were stopped in their tracks when a disagreement broke out between two of the students over who would have first dibs on playing the viola. All of a sudden a chair flew threw the air and two incredibly sweet children with whom they had interacted the entire day before released furious tirades at each other in Arabic. As the teachers moved in to assuage the situation, one of the children released a scream they will never forget. A scream of anger, sadness, frustration, and fury in that sound than any of us had ever witnessed.

Carr-Petrova’s sweet, gentle, and very shy friend Siha is an Egyptian from Kuwait awaiting asylum in Denmark. Immediately drawn to Siha because of her deep, curious, thoughtful, and expressive eyes — the duo was excited to watch her slowly start to open up after making music together. Siha gave them another “reality check” moment while working with the students to design a “musical story” together.

One of Carr-Petrova’s goals in launching the #NovelVoices Project was to educate themselves about what is being done by both local and international refugee-aid organizations to help make a difference in the refugee crisis. Learning about the work done by the Danish Red Cross in their “Jelling Model” school during their very first refugee camp visit exceeded all of the duo’s expectations, filling their hearts to overflowing with hope, admiration, and inspiration.

In each country the duo visited they had the opportunity to learn about particular refugee policies. The more they learned, the more urgency they felt. The Danish Red Cross was one of these organizations — and their work is INCREDIBLE. With their whole hearts, Carr-Petrova urges everyone reading this to check out your local Red Cross organization — and find ways to get involved. They are so much worthy of all of our time, volunteering, and financial support. They are making the world a better place every day.

Since joining forces as the Carr-Petrova Duo, violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova have compiled a remarkable list of accolades. Both acclaimed international soloists and prize winners, they have been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, and Lincoln Center, to name a few.

The Duo’s upcoming engagements include their Carnegie Debut in Weill Recital Hall, on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 8 PM, the release of two recording projects: their debut album “Novel Voices” and an album featuring all American composers on the Spanish Melos label, and international concert tours, masterclasses and residencies in China, Europe, the US, and Israel.

Produced & Narrated by Max Horowitz — Crossover Media

This content, as well as the related podcast, are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) for redistribution and adaptation.