April marks the first anniversary of the enhanced performance series at Reading Terminal Market made possible by the Knight Arts Challenge. A total of 31 performances took place at the Market during this year.   They included popup performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra‘s string section, a 50-voice children’s choir, and the Freedom Band, an LGBT brass ensemble. A wide range of music and dance was featured, from classic jazz to a Latin-flavored string quartet, Mexican folk dance to classic American tap. All the artists are Philadelphia-based or have strong Philadelphia connections. PSALMS Gospel Quintet sings at the Reading Terminal Market. Reading Terminal Market averages 17,000 visitors a day, 358 days a year. During opening hours, there are literally thousands of people in the Market at any given moment. They are here to purchase food, to eat lunch, or because the Market is one of Philadelphia’s top attractions.   People self-select. Some walk by with barely a glance. Some stop for a tune or two, take photographs with their phones or other devices and move on. Others will pull up a chair and stay for a full set. Children are particularly responsive to both music and dance. Since one of the goals of the series is to introduce the public to the wealth of artistic talent that exists in Philadelphia, we’ve brought very few performers back.  In April, we invited one group to return for an encore performance because the connection they made with Market patrons during their first appearance was nothing short of electric. The PSALMS gospel quintet performed in December as part of the celebration of the winter holidays and returned the week after Easter Sunday. Dozens of people from their home church filled the Market’s Center Court, and many Market patrons pulled up chairs for an entire set of their high energy harmonies. From the start, it’s been clear that people respond strongly to the arts when they encounter them in the course of their daily lives. A tourist from North Dakota dances with a salsero to upbeat Latin music (“Nothing like this ever happens in North Dakota”.) A 10 year old girl spontaneously throws her arms around a jazz singer she has never met. An African American teenager conducts the string section of the Philadelphia Orchestra. A toddler eludes his parents to stare up at a tap dancer, fascinated. Music @ the Market is an ongoing program. For more information, visit www.readingterminalmarket.org