VOA慢速英语--音乐会卡车运送古典音乐给新观众

Concert Truck Transports Classical Music to New Audiences

Classical music is sometimes thought of as high art, performed in beautiful music centers to serious and wealthy crowds, wearing fine clothes.

But two young musicians are working hard to make this kind of music more available to new audiences.

Nick Luby and Susan Zhang do this with the help of the Concert Truck, a vehicle that carries almost everything needed for a musical performance.

Practicing piano is something Zhang does everyday.

"Ideally, I'd like to get about four hours of practicing each day."

Luby does the same, especially on the days when the two musicians are to perform.

After getting their piano ready, Zhang and Luby get into the Concert Truck. The two drive the truck to a farmers market in the city of Baltimore Maryland.The 5-meter long vehicle has audio equipment and lights.

It takes a few minutes to change the truck into a stage. Then Luby and Zhang begin to perform.

Luby says people can listen to music almost anywhere because of wireless¹ electronics and devices that connect directly to the ears. But that experience is very different from attending a performance, he says.

“There is something about live music that is essentially² human and connecting. When you listen to live music, there is energy that you just can't get from a recording³. It brings people together. For me, it makes life worth living."

Zhang says the concert truck idea was Luby’s.

“When he came to me with this idea, I thought he was a little crazy, but then I watched this movie, Chef. It's about a chef who has a food truck and he travels across the country and I thought that that kind of life would be so cool, so I decided⁴ to go in on this with him."

Performing on a truck in a city with the noise of traffic and crowds is very different from playing in a concert hall.

"Usually when we perform in a concert hall, everything is very controlled, everybody is very quiet, and the lighting⁵ has to be just right. But, in a place like this, anything could really happen."

The artists say they do not take it as an insult when people do not stop to listen.

"When people walk by and listen for a second and keep going, you definitely notice, but the fact that someone will stop even for a minute is a nice thing to be able to share that moment with people."

Reba Cornman was shopping at the farmers' market when she shared one of those moments with the two performers.

"…all of a sudden I heard Prokofiev's Cinderella being performed on piano. It was extraordinary. I know they're trying to reach out to all kinds of audiences and being on a truck is such a remarkable⁶ way to do that."

The Concert Truck has brought music to schools, children's homes and homeless shelters. And it has traveled to many places in the United States.

"The dream is to create a platform that allows musicians, not just us, but many musicians, to share their craft and their art broadly."

That dream is what keeps Luby and Zhang energized⁷ and on the road, bringing the Concert Truck and classical music to new audiences.

I’m Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

classical – adj. related to music in a European tradition that includes opera and symphony

audience – n. people gathered together to listen to a performance

audio –adj. related to sound

stage –n. a raised structure where performers stand

remarkable – adj. likely to be noticed

allow – v. to permit, to let happen

craft – n. a job or activity that requires a special skill

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。