A recent performance of Mozart's "Masonic Funeral Music" by the Handel and Haydn Society at Boston Symphony Hall concluded with a cameo from a surprise guest: 9-year-old Ronan Mattin, who was so taken by the music that he loudly proclaimed "Wow!" for all to hear.

The "wow" moment — and the rest of the concert — were recorded by 99.5 WCRB, Boston's classical radio station and part of WGBH. After the concert, the Handel and Haydn Society asked the public to help them find their young fan, leading the moment and their quest to go viral.

"There was already the feeling of a special gathering," recalls Brian McCreath, WCRB Production Manager, who also is responsible for the production and hosting of live concert broadcasts. "When, from the sold-out crowd of 2,500, the voice of a young boy emerged, reacting in amazement to the end of the first piece on the program, that sense of community was not only heightened, it also became a crystallization of the very reasons the station was there in the first place."

WCRB records live performances throughout the year as part of its In Concert series, including those presented by the Handel and Haydn Society, Rockport Music, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and others, making classical music accessible to an ever-expanding audience.

"While WCRB is a constant companion for our listeners, our concert broadcasts play a special role in knitting together Boston’s music community," says McCreath. "Nothing connects people like live performances. And that delightful 'wow' moment will now reach beyond those relative few in the hall that afternoon."

Listen to Mattin's "wow" moment below, read more about him and his discovery from WGBH News, or listen to more classical concert recordings from WCRB's In Concert series.