DALLAS — The 59th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas brought hundreds to Dealey Plaza to offer 59 seconds of silence, to sell 59 years of conspiracy theories and books and to see the spot that changed the city's image forever.
But, in the parking lot of the Sixth Floor Museum which welcomed a flood of visitors on this anniversary, music briefly broke through all that noise.
"Having a historical moment like today also I think helps us tap into our shared humanity," said Nick Luby, who along with fellow pianist Susan Zhang, are co-directors of The Concert Truck. In collaboration with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the driver side of the 16-foot box truck opens to reveal a stage and a digital baby grand piano.
Luby and Zhang and fellow musicians with the DSO performed for an hour outside the Sixth Floor Museum to an audience of several dozen who took a break from the chatter, noise, and conspiracies very much alive in Dealey Plaza next door.
"It can help break through the hecticness and the chaos and the anxiety of modern life with these beautiful moments of music and stillness," said Luby of the obvious juxtaposition.
The musicians, born long after the events of 1963, hoped their music offered something different, something contemplative on this 59th anniversary.
"Maybe to honor it in the right way," Susan Zhang said. "And I think music is a really great way of doing that. It's very healing. It can be very powerful."
"To be able to share moments of music with one another regardless of what's in your mind, what's on your mind, whatever you might believe," added Luby.
Whatever a noisy world might believe, 59 years and counting.
The Concert Truck offers public performances as many as 10 times a week. Luby and Zhang, currently in residence with the DSO, launched the effort in 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina.