You’ve heard of food trucks, but what about a concert truck? Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) just acquired The Concert Truck, a 16-foot box truck converted into a mobile concert hall. Complete with lights, sound system, and a grand piano, the rig has already made appearances around Seattle as part of SCMS’s annual summer residency over the past four years, with pop-up performances everywhere from Burien Farmer’s Market to the Washington Park Arboretum. Now it officially belongs to SCMS. The acquisition brings the program under the SCMS umbrella but keeps its nationwide mission intact—presenting concerts for arts organizations across the country with greater support and resources behind it.

“We believe classical music is vibrant, magnetic, and belongs in everyday life,” says SCMS executive director John Holloway. “By welcoming The Concert Truck and its visionary co-founder, Susan Zhang, into our organization, we are putting our money where our mouth is—investing in the future of classical music.”

Zhang, who created The Concert Truck with pianist Nick Luby in 2016, will continue leading the program as the newly named Maryanne Tagney Director. Since launching, the project has teamed up with major arts organizations across the country, including the Kennedy Center’s Washington National Opera and the Aspen Music Festival.

For SCMS artistic director James Ehnes, the acquisition is a natural fit. “One of the most powerful ways to show people that this music belongs to them is to bring it directly into their daily lives,” he says. “The Concert Truck makes that possible in the most joyful and immediate way.”

Already this fall, the truck is scheduled to appear at a Juvenile Probation Center, a winery, museums, and dozens of schools. And come summer 2026, Seattleites can expect to see the piano-on-wheels pulling up again at neighborhood parks and markets. “These performances help people see themselves in the music,” Ehnes says. “And that’s how we build a future where classical music isn’t just preserved, but pulsing through the cultural zeitgeist for decades to come.”

Education has always been a cornerstone of the project. In partnership with the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, The Concert Truck co-created an online children’s program that has already reached more than 55,000 students in North Carolina schools. It also continues to mentor young artists at institutions like Rice University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

“We’re not just expanding access—we’re reimagining where and how people experience this art form,” Zhang says. “There’s a raw, magnetic energy when brilliant musicians perform in unexpected places. It breaks classical music out of the concert hall and into the heartbeat of the community.”

Learn more about The Concert Truck’s fall tour here.