VOA慢速英语--音乐家们筹钱养活邻居

When Erin Shields¹ sang "Being Alive," a popular song from the Broadway show "Company," the song had extra levels of meaning.

Shields and her husband David Shenton are touring musicians. They could not perform around the world during the coronavirus pandemic. So they broadcast virtual² concerts from home to raise money for the Mosaic³ West Queens Church in New York City.

The concerts brought thousands of dollars to the church to help feed hungry people living in the neighborhood. They also gave the two musicians a chance to continue their artistic⁴ lives.

It began when they saw the long lines of people waiting for food outside the church near their home. Several of their friends had lost jobs after Broadway theaters closed. And they felt the need to help.

"When your entire industry shuts down, you think, 'well, how are we going to do this?'" Shields said. "Seeing the people in line ..., you go, 'I can be that person and that could be my family member.'"

In September, they volunteered at the church to give away boxes of food to families two times a week. As time passed, they felt the need to do more for others during the pandemic.

I don't have much to offer, but

"I thought, I'm not a doctor ... I don't really have much to offer. But then I thought, well, you know, we can perform," said Shields.

She is an opera singer from the American state of Illinois. Her husband Shenton is a British composer⁵, pianist and violinist⁶. And their artistic friends were willing⁷ to join for a good cause.

"We have all these connections to Broadway singers outside of their work on Broadway, so we wanted to capitalize on that," Shenton said.

During a recent virtual concert, smiling families, watching on their computers at home, clapped and sang along. Among the performers⁸ were Broadway musicians known⁹ for their work in shows such as "Hamilton" and "The Little Mermaid," as well as "Tootsie" and "Les Miserables."

Shields sang crowd favorites including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard¹⁰ of Oz." Shields remembered she had played the part of Dorothy and sang the same song in high school.

A grand¹¹ piano named Wolfgang

Shenton played a grand piano that he named "Wolfgang Kathryn." It is named for his late mother and her favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart¹².

For years, the two have performed at churches in New York. They have sung to older adults and Alzheimer's patients in Illinois. They have taught music to children in Arizona. And they have followed their interest in animal rights by caring for elephants and other wildlife in Zimbabwe.

Shields said volunteering became especially important last year when New York turned into the center of the pandemic. That was the time she could hear the sound of ambulances rushing patients to hospitals throughout¹³ the city.

"It's just something my mom always said: 'If you're feeling low, volunteer, give back to other people, because it will make you feel better,'" Shields said. "And it's so true."

Words in This Story

tour - v. to make a journey or trip through an area or place : to make a tour of (something)

virtual – adj. existing or occurring¹⁴ on computers or on the Internet

entire – adj. whole

opera – n. a kind of performance in which actors sing all or most of the words of a play with music performed by an orchestra¹⁵

composer – n. a person who writes music

capitalize on (something) – expression. to use (something, such as an event or situation) in a way that helps you; to get an advantage from (something)

clap – v. to hit the palms¹⁶ of your hands together usually more than once

mom – n. (U.S., informal) a person's mother

1 shields   

n.盾( shield的名词复数 )；护罩；盾形奖牌；保护人v.掩护( shield的第三人称单数 )；庇护；给…加防护罩

参考例句：

• Spears hurtled against shields. 矛猛击在盾上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Radiation shields are commonly used to reduce radiation errors. 辐射屏蔽罩一般用于降低辐射误差。 来自辞典例句

2 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

3 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 composer   

n.作曲家，作家，设计者

参考例句：

• Brooks is an excellent composer.布鲁克斯是一位杰出的作曲家。
• The composer expresses his sorrow in his music.这位作曲家用音乐表达他的悲伤。

6 violinist   

n.小提琴演奏者，小提琴家

参考例句：

• Everyone cheered for the violinist at our school concert.在学校音乐会上，大家都为小提琴手喝彩叫好。
• She's a great violinist by any standard.不论以什么标准看，她都是伟大的小提琴家。

7 willing   

adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的

参考例句：

• We never lack food and clothing if we're willing to work.如果我们愿意工作,就不会缺吃少穿。
• He's quite willing to pay the price I ask.他很愿意照我的要价付钱。

8 performers   

n.演出者( performer的名词复数 )；演奏者；表演者；履行者

参考例句：

• The boss kissed the other performers off as mere amateurs. 老板认为其他的演员只有业余水平而把他们打发掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They manage to sign up all the best performers. 他们设法跟所有最佳演员签订合同。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

10 wizard   

n.男巫，术士，鬼才；adj.男巫的，巫术的

参考例句：

• Edison was a wizard at invention.爱迪生是一个发明奇才。
• That's a fairy story about a wizard.那是讲一个男巫的童话。

11 grand   

adj.豪华的，宏伟的，壮丽的，主要的，重大的；n.(美俚)一千美元

参考例句：

• The pianist played several pieces of music on a grand piano.钢琴家在一架大钢琴上弹了几首乐曲。
• Come on,I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.跟我来，我带你去后院来一次盛大的旅游。

12 Mozart   

n.莫扎特(奥地利作曲家)

参考例句：

• Mozart was a great musician.莫扎特是伟大的音乐家。
• Will we ever see the like of Mozart again?我们还会再见到莫扎特那样的天才吗？

13 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

14 occurring   

n.事变，事件，事故

参考例句：

• Oil is refined to remove naturally occurring impurities. 油经过提炼去除天然存在的杂质。 来自辞典例句
• In-flight winds are occurring above a height of 150 meters. 飞行风是150米高度以上出现的风。 来自辞典例句

15 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

16 palms   

n.胜利( palm的名词复数 )；（象征胜利的）棕榈叶；（四足动物的）前足掌

参考例句：

• He spread his palms in a gesture of openness. 他展开手掌，以示坦诚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling. 他的手掌因干挖土的活儿而磨破了皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》