Marcel Ward’s journey to become a Canadian piano star began in war-torn Syria when his father gave him a little plastic piano as a gift.
Just five years old at the time, Marcel spent the next three years teaching himself how to play piano in his Damascus home by following a demo track loaded on the toy keyboard.
In 2012, Marcel’s family was forced to flee their home amid escalating violence across the country, and the little red keyboard made the difficult journey with him.
Now 10 years old and resettled in Hamilton, Ont., Marcel says his passion for piano runs deep – and he has big ambitions for the future.
“(What) I love about piano (is) how it sounds and how beautiful it is,” he told CTV News Channel on Wednesday.
The precocious musician has moved on from the toy keyboard to a full-sized piano in his new house, and he’s started taking lessons in hopes of honing his skills. He’s also studied some of music’s greatest composers, including Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and Bach.
As for his favourite symphonist, Marcel says he prefers to go by the beat of his own drum.
“I like really making my own kind of music, creating,” Marcel said.
The next challenge, Marcel says, is learning how to read sheet music. But faced with a piano test on Wednesday afternoon, Marcel said he’s fairly nonplussed by the challenge.
“Nothing is hard for me. I’m just a little nervous,” he said.
