“Classical musicians everywhere face the persistent question of how to reach new audiences,” writes Tim Smith in Wednesday’s (7/26) Baltimore Sun. “Some pianists have gone the extra mile to address the issue—they give free performances on a mobile stage dubbed the Concert Truck. The vehicle reached Baltimore this week from its home base in Columbia, S.C. … Pianist and Concert Truck co-director Susan Zhang [is] a graduate student at the Peabody Institute…. Zhang’s fellow co-director of the Concert Truck is Nick Luby [who is] completing work on a graduate certificate in performance at the University of South Carolina. He got the impetus for the project after looking around him at various outdoor spots. ‘People were connecting to music through head phones,’ Luby says, ‘not live music.’ … The result of that inspiration is a 16-foot box truck, equipped with speakers, lights, and a donated Roland digital grand piano.… [The] vehicle is [making] stops at music camps … and … the Children’s Home in Catonsville and Baltimore Outreach Services…. After Baltimore, the Concert Truck will make the trip to Minnesota, where the pianists plan to give pop-up performances around the state to celebrate Minnesota Public Radio’s 50th anniversary.”
Posted July 27, 2017
