A Spanish Flash Mob and the Best Coin Ever Spent

This is a slick commercial for Banco De Sabadell that builds on the highly popular flash-mob, or "random acts of culture" phenomenon.  But because of the obvious joy it gave those present, along with its viral popularity on the Internet, the commercial source in no way diminishes this wonderful performance that took place in the Plaça de Sant Roc in Sabadell, Spain.  More than 100 musicians and singers performed "Ode to Joy," the Fourth Movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.

Oh for more commercialism like this!  It's a gem you can enjoy again and again.

Opera Carolina's Random Act of Culture at Belk Southpark

On Saturday February 12, three performers from Opera Carolina performed various arias for surprised shoppers at the Belk department store at the Southpark Mall in Charlotte, N.C.

The performance is one of 1,000 Random Acts of Culture taking place nationally over the next three years, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and implemented locally by the Arts & Science Council. Knight Foundation's Random Acts of Culture bring artists out of the performance halls and into the streets and our everyday lives. For more videos and information, visit RandomActsofCulture.org.

A Random Act of Culture in Novi, Michigan: 'Silent Night'

Food Court Flash Mob Sings Hallelujah Chorus

This is a wonderful new phenomenon that brings fine art to the public square. This performance was sponsored by Alphabet Photography of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Similar surprise performances are being sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which has targeted 8 American cities for what they are calling "Random Acts of Culture."