DENVER -- People say music can heal the soul. If that’s the case, then Carol Jickling Lens healed the soul of everyone around the University of Denver Thursday.
Lens was part of a global concert of carillonneurs who played a specially composed piece.
“This is a global pandemic,” Lens said. “To have bells played in South Korea and all over Europe and I hope the people in Mexico City are playing, and all over the United States and Canada, the people are going to be playing this song. It just shows that we’re all in this together.”
Notes littered the four pages of sheet music, notes that were full of highs and lows. Much like life during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think it is a historic time we’re living through,” Katie Fisher said.
“It’s a fascinating piece, has a theme that’s supposed to represent the virus,” Lens explained. “When it starts out, its fierce and fast and loud and each time it comes back it’s a little softer, a little slower and broken apart. So it’s very symbolic of the virus eventually going away.”
The bells drew a small crowd of people who wanted to listen and pay their respects. All were left amazed.
“It was beautiful. It’s absolutely amazing,” Debby Miller said.
Fisher and her husband walked a single block, just so they could be there in person to witness Lens perform the special COVID-19 piece.
“We heard this piece here today was dedicated and in honor of the COVID and that all across the world they are playing this same concert by a carilloner,” Fisher stated.
Carillonneurs all over the world playing the same piece, delivering the same message: One of hope and unity.
“To me it’s the idea of the solidarity that, we’re all in this together and we’re all sharing in this experience and we all want it to get better,” said Lens.
