英语博客：Oksana, Daniel, and Russel.

　　My good friend Nataliya called me a few days ago, and invited me to a concert at a local church. "There is a very good Russian pianist, Oksana Ezhokina, you might have heard of her." I vaguely¹ remembered the name. She has performed a few times in Wenatchee. At the moment, she lives in Leavenworth, and is the artistic² co-director of the Icicle Creek³ Music Center, and a member of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio. Accompanying her were Daniel Schlosberg, an accomplished⁴ pianist, and Artist-in-Residence in the Music Department at the University of Notre Dame⁵, and also Russel Rolen who is a professional cellist⁶ and teacher, and is studying for his doctorate⁷ at Northwestern University. I was excited to hear about this trio coming to town; it had been a while since I had been to a classical concert. Nataliya gave me directions, and I decided⁸ to get there a little early, just in case there were a lot of people, I could get some good seats. It's a good job that I did because the place was packed. I made sure that I got a couple of seats as close to the front as possible. Nataliya arrived, and we looked at the program. They were going to play some very interesting pieces, and quite a variety: Gershwin, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Oksana started off the concert with a piece, and a little talk at first about how the concert was to raise money to buy a grand piano for the town. Several private donations had been made already, but money still had to be raised to have enough for the purchase. The concert flew by quickly because the music was so good, and so well performed. It was a delight to see real musicians at work who had obviously dedicated⁹ years to becoming accomplished. Everybody was impressed, and gave the musicians a standing¹⁰ ovation¹¹ at the end. I'm so glad that my friend had told me about this concert. I must keep my ear to the ground for other concerts in the area.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: vague/ly, to accompany, just in case, donation.
1. He looked at me vaguely. I don't think that he remembered me at all.
2. I will accompany you to the train station. We can chat while we wait for the train.
3. Let's take the umbrella, just in case it rains.
4. The clinic received a huge anonymous¹² donation last week.

1 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

2 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。

3 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

4 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

5 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

6 cellist   

n.大提琴手

参考例句：

• The cellist's bowing was very sensitive . 那位大提琴手的弓法十分细腻。 来自辞典例句
• World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded The Silk Road Project in 1998. 世界闻名的大提琴家马友友于1998年创建了丝路工程。 来自互联网

7 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

12 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。