Random Act of Culture – An Instant Ode to Joy

On Friday, August 10, the lobby of Compuware Headquarters in downtown Detroit was host to a ”Random Act of Culture,” courstesy of The Knight Foundation.

Those there witnessed a “pop up cultural performance” with more than 150 singers, musicians, dancers, and children from the Detroit Children’s Choir as they sang Beethoven’s  Ode to Joy in the lobby of Compuware World Headquarters in downtown Detroit.  Watch the performance now.

This 8-minute performance marked the 1,000th performance of Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture program.  In the last two years, the Knight Foundation has worked with eight cities across America to rethink how the arts were presented in their local communities.  The Detroit event was produced by The Sphinx Organization.

Knight invested in local community cultural groups and their performers to produce events that bring classical performers out of the symphony halls, into the streets and into everyday lives. Past performance venues include airports, lobbies, department stores, farmers’ markets and trains, surprising people as they go about everyday living.

The mission of the Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture is to weave art and culture into everyday life. You can’t help but be moved by one of these surprise performances.

During these performances, people going along in their everyday lives are part of a shared experience. The audience takes pictures and videos, shares them, and for just a few minutes is a part of an exciting, collective experience that also makes their community a more vibrant place to live.

Dennis Scholl, VP/Arts and creator of the Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture, tells more about the program in his blog.

The website image is courtesy of Lisa Palley.