I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day (or a wonderful Sunday if Mother’s Day isn’t your thing). Today’s beautiful thing has got me right in the feels. There is a lovely clarinet player, Raphael Froissart, who plays with his friends on the streets of London. It is his habit to ask passers by to join them, and in the video below, he is spontaneously joined by an amazing artist named Michel Tirabosco. Tirabosco is apparently a famous Swiss pan flute player. Most people, faced with such serious physical challenges, would likely find some easier line of work. But this remarkable man, who was born with very short arms and no hands, did not let his physical differences keep him from the profession for which he was clearly born. His skill with the pan flute is nothing short of miraculous, and I’d be saying that even if he had no physical challenges. The combination of these talented artists is absolutely incredible. The piece they are playing is the instantly-recognizable Winter concerto from Vivaldi’s iconic piece The Four Seasons.

I have watched this recording more times than I care to admit, and every time, it makes me cry. Humans can do such marvelous things. I wish we lived in a world with more of this and less hate and war and aggression. Maybe someday, we’ll get it right. In the meantime, I’ll be over here watching this moving performance.

You can follow Raphael Froissart on YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, and Instagram.

You can follow Michel Tirabosco on his website and on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook.