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Crowd Gathers for Surprise Mormon Choir Performance at CWBy Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered Tuesday for a surprise performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Photo courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg.
About 1,000 people – possibly more – filled Duke of Gloucester Street in front of Raleigh Tavern, spilling onto the sidewalks and crowding the porches of the buildings along the road. Cameramen weaved through the crowd, followed closely by boom mike operators, and among the tourists, it was easy to spot CW employees in their business clothes. Everyone seemed antsy, checking their watches and murmuring, “Where do you think they’ll come from?” and “Do you think they’re already in the crowd?” They finally had their answer when three men began singing “Free States,” a 1768 song set to the tune of “My Country ’Tis of Thee,” right after a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Voices rose up throughout the crowd, coming from every direction and harmonizing perfectly. It was then clear that the 360 members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir were already there, standing among the crowd. The event was the first “flash mob”-inspired event for both the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Colonial Williamsburg. On Monday, the Choir performed at the Scope Arena in Norfolk as part of the 15th annual Virginia Arts Festival. Guests to that performance paid between $20 to $85 for tickets, but Colonial Williamsburg visitors saw the flash event for free. The two organizations were connected by Rob Cross, director of the Virginia Fine Arts Festival. He thought it would be great if the choir, which had a day off between its Norfolk and Washington, D.C. concerts, could make a stop in Williamsburg. Planning for the event began six weeks ago. Barry Anderson, administrative manager for the choir, suggested the choir perform and Mary Parker, marketing manager for CW, had the idea to attempt a flash mob. But the key to pulling it off was secrecy. Throughout the planning, only a few CW, Choir and Virginia Arts Festival employees knew about the event. The performers did not find out until Sunday, and rehearsed for the first time over breakfast on Tuesday morning. CW employees were told by e-mail on Monday afternoon that a “secret event” would take place around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, but still had no idea what would happen. Anderson said the choir members were instructed not to wear name tags or any clothing identifying them as performers; instead, they dressed like tourists to blend into the crowd. “That was the beauty of it,” he said. Some of the most popular flash mobs have brought out thousands of singers and dancers, performing choreography to pop songs. The planners of Tuesday’s event wanted to do a performance honoring the area’s history and the theme of “Revolutionary City,” while still preserving the spontaneity of the moment. “We knew what songs we would like and wanted them to be consistent with the reading of the Declaration,” Parker said. They also sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” inviting the crowd to join in. When the performance was finished, Colonial Williamsburg Senior Vice President John Bacon greeted the audience and informed them they had just performed with the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Everyone applauded and greeted the choir members who had been standing beside them. Bacon said that from his vantage point, the crowd seemed surprised. “It was pure delight,” he said. It was a special opportunity to offer a cultural experience that was new, but still fit with their mission, he added. Cross, a professional musician, said the pure voices and well-timed staging gave him chills. “I got a bit teary-eyed,” he admitted. “Whenever we can connect organizations like this, it’s powerful, and I think the community likes to see us work together.” See WYDaily's perspective for the performance of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" below: |
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Comments
Anyhow, my point was that describing this event and claiming that there was any shred of "secrecy" involved is somewhat ludicrous. There were radio ads. Press releases. Emails. Not to mention a lot of blabbing amongst CW employees, most of whom knew the "secret." I notice you didn't address that issue, but perhaps my unwarranted negativity flustered you so.
Just had to find something nasty to say, huh? Just had to be negative...crit ical...judgment al.