A 16-foot box truck rolled into the circle drive at One Arts Plaza in the Dallas Arts District early Wednesday morning. The doors opened to reveal a stage with baby grand piano and lights.
"We are really thrilled to be here in Dallas today," Susan Zhang said. Zhang and her partner, Nick Luby, play piano four hands from The Concert Truck for crowds across the United States.
"The concert truck can go where other stages can't be," Luby explained. "Perfectly suited for pandemic conditions."
The Concert Truck was doing COVID-safe performances long before the pandemic. The Baltimore couple started five years ago to bring music into communities.
"A lot of people have been feeling very isolated," Luby said. "Music provides a space and a time where nothing else matters."
Their repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary. Some of the concerts will feature musicians from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
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"I really just love sharing music. I love playing music. I love performing," Zhang said. "When there's an audience that you can really connect with, it's a very special kind of communication."
At 8:30 a.m. the couple drifted from Rachmaninoff to Rhapsody in Blue, as on-lookers in the plaza sipped their morning coffee and tapped their toes.
"People are so grateful to hear live music again," Luby said. "It's a piece of normalcy."
"My heart feels really full when we deliver a great concert," Zhang said.
For more information about how to donate and track The Concert Truck through Dallas, visit the Dallas Symphony Orchestra website.
