For people like us (and you, we assume, since you’re reading this) who love to sink our teeth into everything there is to know about the classical music world, there’s nothing quite as appealing as getting to know the in-depth details about our favorite classical musicians. 

We’re always dying to know what makes classical musicians tick—we have endless questions. Do they feel anxious on stage? Do they have day-of meditation to ease their nerves? Do they exercise and have daily routines just like we do?

If you’re ready to absorb as much information as possible from skilled, dedicated, and talented classical musicians we all love to love (and let’s face it, idolize), then you’re in the right place.

Welcome to Classical Post’s Artist Routines section, where we dive deep into the routines of the classical musicians we just can’t get enough of. 

This week, we’re in for double trouble with the dynamic Carr-Petrova Duo, violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova. Both Carr and Petrova are internationally acclaimed soloists, each winning top prices in several international competitions and playing in famed venues worldwide. Together, though, they form the compelling, ravishing, and explosive duo that’s been taking the world by storm since August 2018. 

The duo first began playing together during their years at Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, and since, they’ve performed together in venues across the world, including a recent debut recital at Carnegie Hall. They’ve got a packed 2019/2020 schedule filled with events around the world. Check out their full schedule to see where you can catch one of their performances. 

So, what makes this duo tick? How do they craft their own, unique daily routines? Let’s find out! 

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BEST PART OF THE DAY—THE MORNING. WHAT’S YOUR EVERYDAY MORNING ROUTINE? 

Anna:

Depending on whether I’m home and going to teach or travelling on a concert tour, my routine would change. Overall, the moment I wake up I look at my phone (I know... terrible!). I usually have a gazillion messages on all platforms: WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook messenger, and text, not to mention the dozens of emails. If there is anything really urgent I answer it right away (while still trying to fully open my eyes.) 

Then shower and definitely coffee! If there is no time for anything else, I must make sure I get at least coffee. Unfortunately, my schedule hasn’t allowed me to have an exciting morning routine involving exercise, listening to an inspirational podcast, juicing and eating a healthy granola bowl... (sigh). Nowadays, my schedule is—go to sleep at 1:30 AM, wake up at 8 AM and run for the door! When I’m travelling for a concert is when I have more time to do those things and ideally sleep just a little longer in the morning. 

Molly

Reading this question is inspiring me to develop a consistent morning routine! I feel like you can always pick out the people in a room who wake up early and have a morning routine—they’re usually the calmest, most in control, and “on top of it” ones. Mostly, my mornings consist of rolling out of bed, grabbing food, and hitting the ground running to get to a rehearsal, meeting, teaching day, practice session, date with my email inbox, etc. 

But making room for quiet time and slowing things down a bit is becoming a bigger and bigger priority in my life these days—because I’ve seen how much giving yourself time and space helps every part of your mind, body, and soul as an artist. And so maybe tomorrow I will finally commit to starting my dream routine of waking up at 6 AM, doing an hour of yoga, taking my dog for a walk, showering, making a cup of tea and healthy breakfast, and then practicing for at least two hours before heading into the rest of the day! The times in my life when I have followed this routine, I feel like I can conquer the world—all before lunch!

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A PERFORMANCE THE “DAY OF”? 

Anna:

The day of the performance, if possible, I like to sleep in, wake up slowly, and stay in my pajamas for the whole day. 

Unfortunately, that never works when I solo with orchestras because of the dress rehearsal in the morning usually at 10 AM! So what I try to do in such performances is make two days out of one—I wake up early, go play the dress rehearsal (while trying to save all my energy and creativity for the night,) and then eat lunch and go straight to bed. I would wake up about 2 or 3 hours before the concert and head to the concert hall. Drinking a lot of water and having some sugar before I play is what I normally do. Sometimes having to put on make-up and fix my hair is a good distraction from the high pressure and stress of some performances.

Molly:

My teacher Heidi Castleman once told me that the day of a concert should feel like “peak living” or a day you actually look forward to because you get to use it to spoil yourself: sleep more than normal, eat your favorite foods(and for me - this includes lots of protein), enjoy a little free time you don’t normally give yourself - BE A DIVA!

I’m someone who grew up with and had to learn how to perform with stage fright, and so I think taking Heidi’s advice and allowing myself to enjoy everything about and around a performance has totally changed my mental space and set aside concert days and concerts themselves as something my body and mind now look forward to!

Also, amidst the “diva-ing,” I also do make sure to plan backward from the concert time to allow myself... 

1. time to eat a solid meal (again, with a lot of protein),

2. time to get dressed and concert-ready without any time pressure,

3. time to complete a whole routine of stretching my whole body, 

4. time to warm up on the viola with at least an hour of scales, etudes, and general warm-up exercises,

5. and finally, time to comb through my concert program slowly, reminding myself of all of the ups and downs, twists, and turns in slow motion under-tempo in a calm relaxed manner so that it feels grounded and ready for take-off! 

WHAT IS YOUR WORKOUT REGIMEN LIKE?

Anna: 

I’m guilty here. I used to work out and then my life just got so crazy busy with performances and recordings and teaching that now the only work out I get is from walking my dog Benji (and from practicing a Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev concerto).

Molly: 

Krav Maga! I’ve started recently taking Krav Maga lessons—which involves a lot of shoulder and thigh work (aka lots of punching and kicking), but my teacher also makes sure to torture me with a lot of abs work, push-ups, band work, and lunges/squats (terrible!!!). I definitely have a much happier body since working out semi-regularly! It’s nice feeling your body get stronger bit by bit and feeling the difference it makes in playing your instrument —everything works better, like the muscles are more “at the ready” for whatever you ask of them! Highly recommend. 

IS MEDITATION IMPORTANT TO YOU (AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU MEDITATE IN YOUR UNIQUE WAY?)

Anna: 

A glass of red wine, a good book—if I’m lucky and have time I’ll play some amazing recording of the golden age pianists on my LP player. When the duo is together and we try relaxing, we usually come up with more work and exciting ideas for us to dive into next! 

Molly: 

Another tidbit of wisdom of which my teacher Heidi Castleman would frequently remind me of is that creativity needs time and space to flourish.

It’s easy to forget this as you work on and get wrapped up in the “career” side of being an artist, or even just living as a New Yorker trying to exist in your every-day life! But the older I get, the more I recognize the need for this space and quiet. For me, sometimes this means leaving my phone behind for 20 minutes to take my dog for a walk, or putting everything aside to go enjoy a computer-less/phoneless/viola-less trip to a cafe with my husband, or putting on a “Philosophize This” podcast to feed my brain with new ideas and food for thought, or simply taking a hot shower, or sometimes even just allowing myself to lie on my back and do absolutely nothing for five solid minutes! (Many of what I consider my most inspired ideas came from the last two on this list!). 

I recently watched a little “two minutes of inspiration” video on a transatlantic flight which confirmed the benefits of sitting and doing absolutely nothing for five solid minutes—so I’ve started doing this more and more since! Definitely recommend!

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