Random Acts of Culture

I actually have two other posts that I'm in the middle of writing but this is such a beautiful thing that I have to share it. I am not generally a sentimental person, but there are a few things that truly move me to tears almost every time. One of them is Handel's Messiah - better known as the Hallelujah Chorus - no matter where I am, every time I hear it, I hear my mother's voice. Just beautiful.

Well, a friend posted a YouTube link onto Facebook today for a performance of the Chorus held in Macy's in Philadelphia. The performance was done by members of twenty choirs and with the world's largest pipe organ playing the music. It was truly moving to watch. Well, at the end of the five-minute video clip they were holding up signs that said, "You've just experienced a Random Act of Culture" and gave the website for the Knight Arts Challenge

Before I go any further, here is the YouTube video that brought me to this post:

Hopefully I've put the embed code in there properly. But I followed the line further and went to visit the Knight Arts page and looked at some of the other Random Acts of Culture that have taken place. It is so wonderful to see people going to such elaborate lengths to get some of the classics out to random passers-by. From Opera at the Cosmetics Counter in Charlotte, to Jazz Music in the mall in Ventura, people are being exposed to (possibly) new things that they might not have seen otherwise. It is incredibly moving to me to become aware of this and share it here. I hope others will pass it on as I am now. God bless you all as we head into Christmas and the end of 2010. For me, this song is my "Season Opener." It makes my day to hear it.