I meant to post this link when I received it a few months ago, but haven’t had time to until now.
Maybe you’ve already seen this video of a Random Act Of Culture as the Opera Company Of Philadelphia performed the Hallelujah Chorus at Macy’s in Philadelphia. If you haven’t, take a few minutes to watch it – if you have, you might want to see it again. Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU
Watch the faces as people hear the music, realize what it is, and stop to listen. Some perhaps experienced it only as an unexpected moment of culture, but others obviously saw the event as a call to worship.
Who knows – maybe you will find an opportunity to use your art to slip a kingdom-of-God influence into a determinedly secular culture.
Here are the people who made this event possible — I’ve simply copied the text posted with the video on YouTube.
http://www.operaphila.org/facebook — On Saturday, October 30, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation’s “Random Acts of Culture” at Macy’s in Center City Philadelphia. Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ – the world’s largest pipe organ – the OCP Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah” at 12 noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers. This event is one of 1,000 “Random Acts of Culture” to be funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation over the next three years. The initiative transports the classical arts out of the concert halls and opera houses and into our communities to enrich our everyday lives. To learn more about this program and view more events, visit http://www.randomactsofculture.org. The Opera Company thanks Macy’s and the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ (http://www.wanamakerorgan.com) for their partnership, as well as Organ Music Director Peter Conte and Fred Haas, accompanists; OCP Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden, conductor; and Sound Engineer James R. Stemke. For a complete list of participating choirs and more information, visit http://www.operaphila.org/RAC. This event was planned to coincide with the first day of National Opera Week.
For clues about upcoming Random Acts of Culture, find us on Facebook http://www.operaphila.org/facebook or follow us on Twitter http://www.operaphila.org/twitter
Stan Smith :: © 2011, GospelSmith :: www.GospelSmith.com
