华e生活青少年记者慎奥锐报道
■ 作者：Elizabeth Shen，10年级，Green Hope 高中
上个周末（12月15日），非营利组织the Food Lounge来到教堂山，前往教堂山，为Carol Woods的老人们献上了一场表演。节目内容丰富，包含多种乐器表演，从小号到钢琴再到小提琴不一而足。现场观众Iska、Zell和Alex一致认为长笛演奏最为出色。Iska是前来看望父母Zell和Alex的，她表示，这场表演为他们的日常生活增添了许多色彩，她非常享受。
这场表演有什么特别之处？它完全由学生策划并组织。
整场节目共有13首曲目，既有像《平安夜》这样的经典节日歌曲，也有乔治·比才（Georges Bizet）的《斗牛士之歌》等古典作品。
活动的组织者之一、同时也是表演者的Serena Zhang解释说：“听到观众们这么喜欢我们的表演，我感到非常值得。”她回忆起排练的过程，形容其忙乱不堪。为了协调大家的时间安排、把所有人聚在她家里排练、自己承担多项表演任务，同时还要应对高三繁忙的学业，她的时间表几乎被填满。然而最终，这一切努力都得到了回报。
当被问及为何选择参加这次活动时，八年级学生Joshua Li回答道：“我觉得为社区表演是一件很好的事情。这也让我克服紧张情绪，从而在试镜时表现得更好。”而高二学生Victoria Li也有类似的感受：“这次机会让我作为音乐家，通过音乐向真正欣赏它的人传递了一些爱。”
另一位组织者兼表演者、十二年级学生Rainna Zhou补充道，她“非常喜欢看到人们的面孔因音乐而明亮起来并感到快乐。这真是令人感动。”她说，“我很感激能成为其中的一部分。”
这场表演确实让节日氛围浓厚起来。在音乐声中，越来越多的人加入进来聆听。
许多观众闭着眼睛，随着音乐拍手和轻轻摇摆。尽管一些观众听力减退，但小提琴和长笛的清亮音色仍能穿透障碍，触动人心。演出结束时，表演者们鞠躬致谢，再次起身时，迎接他们的是一片充满笑意的眼睛和灿烂的笑容。
英文报道原文
The Food Lounge Brings Holiday Cheer to Chapel Hill’s Carol Woods
■By Elizabeth Shen, 10th Grade, Green Hope High School
This past weekend, the non-profit The Food Lounge journeyed to Chapel Hill to perform for the seniors at Carol Woods. On the program was a mixture of instruments, ranging from trumpets, to piano, to violin. Iska, Zell, and Alex, members of the audience for the performance, all agreed that the flutists were their favorite. Iska, who was there visiting her parents Zell and Alex, expressed that she enjoyed the variety that it added into their days.
What was special about this performance? It was completely student run and organized.
The program itself contained thirteen songs, with familiar favorites such as Silent Night, as well as more classical works like the Toreador Song by Georges Bizet.
Serena Zhang, one of the organizers of the event and a performer herself, explained how “it was very rewarding to hear how much everyone in our audience enjoyed the performance.” She recounts the practicing process, describing it as very hectic. Between coordinating everyone’s schedules, and fitting everyone into her home for their rehearsals, juggling her own roles in the performance and of course going to school everyday during her junior year, she certainly had her plate full. In the end however, the hard work paid off.
When asked why he chose to come here today, eighth grader Joshua Li explained that “I think it’s nice to perform for the community. It also helps me with nervousness so I can perform better for auditions.” Victoria Li, a sophomore, felt similarly. “This opportunity let me as a musician spread a little love through music to those who really appreciate it”
Rainna Zhou, a senior and another organizer and performer added that she “loved seeing people’s faces light up and enjoy the music. It really is heartwarming,” she says, “I’m so grateful to be a part of this.”
And truly, the holiday spirit was alive during their performance. As they played, the audience grew in size, with people slowly trickling in to listen.
Many closed their eyes, clapping and swaying along. Multiple members of the audience had depreciating hearing, yet the sharp tones of the violin and flute managed to make it through. At the end, the performers bowed, and straightened back up to a room full of crinkled eyes and wide smiles.
