Guests at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, were probably not expecting a holiday concert when they decided to visit the institution on Tuesday, Dec. 2 – but that is exactly what they got. USA Today reported that the Air Force band surprised visitors with a flash mob.
According to an Air Force release, this was not the first flash mob this talented group of musicians lent their skills to. Last year, the group surprised spectators at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. A video taken of their performance quickly went viral, racking up over 3 million views on YouTube.
The same arranger from 2013, retired Senior Master Sgt. Bob Thurston, helped once again to prepare the seasonal music, which included "Greensleeves" and "Carol of the Bells." The release noted that while it was difficult to get the rights to these selections, they eventually did, allowing them to not only perform them during the flash mob, but record them as well.
Each musician was responsible for learning their own music, and four practices with all the instrumentalists and vocalists took place. The last one was at the performance venue the night before the big day. In addition to spectator videos, official film was taken of the performance by Air Force audio technicians.
Ultimately, the musical show was put on to bring an extra burst of holiday cheer to the live audience, as well as to people viewing the video at home.
"Airmen musicians performing holiday classics at an iconic museum in the nation's capital was a winning combination. Like many popular videos, it also had the element of surprise, and this year's video is no different. We hope everyone enjoys it as much as last year's offering," stated Chief Master Sgt. Jennifer Pagnard, the band's chief of marketing and outreach, according to Air Force Times.