An Orchestra Hit-and-Run at the Fashion Mall

15 ISO musicians made an impromptu appearance at the Keystone Fashion Mall in Indianapolis on Jan. 29, 2011 and surprised (and delighted) shoppers with a little Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi.

[@rayraybrin]

Musicians are clean. That was a clean performance 👍🏽 Tuning, accuracy, tone, each performer has chops. Such a tasteful group.

[@georgemckenna7574]

I'm an excellent cook and baker but my skills, no matter how I perfect them, can never match that of the wonderful joy these musicians bring into our lives. Food may sustain us but music uplifts us.

[@davidsandy5917]

I really appreciate these musicians brings joy to public spaces like this.

[@LorynToo]

Every orchestra musician that does this is defending their craft, their career, and their existence while gaining new listeners. Keep it up!

[@elisabethhatil5392]

Excellent cette musique .❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😊😊😊

[@elisabethhatil5392]

Magnifique concert quel brio ses musiciens et musicienne s.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊bravo.

[@elisabethhatil5392]

Magnifique concert écouté sans arrêt. Reposant.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊

[@janebaker1052]

The string musicians were amazingly talented as the audience obviously recognised. I enjoyed every minute. Thank you.

[@imuawarriors]

i'm an intermediate band director, and i wish my students would/could listen to this kind of music... our city's symphony just got re-organized after not existing for about 4 years, and next school year i'm definitely taking my classes to see a performance. just beautiful.... i think this is the kind of performance that would get more people to admit that they enjoy 'good' music, and not most of the stuff on the radio....

[@akabryanhall]

The world needs more concert master conductors. So refreshing.

[@druidkat7]

This is what happens when the arts are supported. (I am a musician, and I approve this musical message.) ;-P

[@captebbtide]

This is a tremendous way to bring good music to the masses. Regular concerts are expensive ventures with snobish audiences who talk and cough. These "concerts on the sly" delight shoppers, travelers and street fair goers for free! We need more of this in America; I've noticed most of these flashmob events seem to be in Europe and Asia.

[@lordbyron3603]

This piece always brings tears. So much passion.

[@hughmcilveen2235]

Somehow ,beautiful soaring music like this is even better in an everyday setting rather than in the formal concert environs.

[@jitkasuarez]

the second piece is so passionate. I love the musicians

[@Tacketful]

Oh gosh, this was absolutely fabulous. I am amazed at the talent these performers showcased. I desperately wish more people were like these folks; diving right in, unafraid, with the classics and entertaining random strangers. Brilliant!

[@phphantomz101]

Serenade for Strings! One of my favorites.

[@sabrefan62]

Ahhh, Serenade for Strings makes me melt every time I hear it!!!!

[@buckingham1948]

Fabulous! OH PLEEEEAASE let us have more of this! It is so uplifting to the soul. Many of us simply just can't afford or get the opportunity to go to real concerts. This also introduces many folks who have never ever heard classics or, seen a live orchestra's performance before. We absoultely need more positives in our daily lives of such beautiful moments. Thank you to all you artists who gave us such a beautiful gift. You made everyone happy with smiling faces! GOD BLESS YOU ALL !

[@origjamdown1]

So many people passed by without taking a minute to appreciate. I am not a classical music type of girl but I really enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@marksteagall5124]

i truly wish this would happen more often!show the world how to make beautiful noise! let the children and the teenagers see what a group of people can do with music!!!!

[@Pitcheyhwastaken]

Do you have something against teens?

[@marksteagall5124]

you miss the point

[@Kybeline]

@mark steagall lol. I happens daily in the concert rooms. You just need to buy a ticket and go to enjoy it. Of course it's nice to get those professional musicians somewhere as a surprise and without having to pay your ticket. But one has to understand that they also need to earn their living, they can't just play surprise all the time. But I think that basically we agree: It's nice to be taken by surprise somewhere, where you don't expect to hear such a high quality performance.

[@cacatr4495]

REAL music. My take on the above comment was that it had Nothing to do with the commenter having a thing against teenagers OR musicians having to make money. It's about demonstrating organic, human-created music on real instruments, not electronically conjured out of some black plastic box that was mass-manufactured in some far away country. The public as a whole, at least in the US, especially many of the young that have been under-exposed to Real music, have no sense of music being organic and hand-skilled. Everything is mass-produced anymore, including the socially engineered conception that music comes out of a box. There needs to be a renaissance of organic music, to once again create a drive and desire in the people for genuine and delightful music. What was once a rich art in hearts and lives of mankind, is quickly becoming a lost awareness, that of real music. In centuries past, live-music and dance were both celebrated throughout the seasons in every community, in the town square, not just a bar, and now, music has become a personal and electronic listening session. Just as most could not build a house or feed themselves from the Earth, most could also not make music to enrich their lives. There has been a mass-deempowerment as skill and knowledge has been replaced by dependency on the contrived, an appreciation of what is faux. These unexpected musical sessions expose the people to the joy in real music, and build appreciation for the musical arts in genuine. If genuine music stays behind closed doors for the ticket price, there won't be growth in the culture for real music. The paying audience will dwindle as with age they pass into eternity with no young ones to enjoy the music and the musical tradition will be lost. Organic music is not about money, but about joy, joy shared. More organic music is needed in community places, to return this beauty to the knowledge of the people. Canned music isn't enough. Life is supposed to be more than contrivances, more than mass-production, more than dreariness. The organic musical celebrations have been long absent from the lives of communities, and everyone has suffered for it, young and old alike, as dreariness has overtaken many a heart. Music used to be as breath and water, love and food, a Life Necessity. The musicians know this, thus they feel the joy as they play. But the doldrums of everyday life have taken over many a non-musician's heart, and the sense of community and shared joy have been greatly diminished. This musical wealth must, in wisdom, be brought back to the people's awareness.

[@cacatr4495]

@@Kybeline "Daily in the concert rooms"? Pray tell, where? Civic orchestras and symphony orchestras, philharmonic orchestras, normally only perform once a month, maybe less, and ticket prices are high. Chamber orchestras can be hired, and enjoyed occasionally at best. There are music student recitals maybe twice a month that one in-the-know can attend, but daily? No. As a trained musician, I know this. Music, in truth, is not to be an industry. It's for living, for sharing joy. If young ones aren't exposed to skilled and delightful music, if their parents don't see to their musical education and growth, then new musicians won't develop. Fine music is a life art to be shared, to be learned, to be played live, to share joy. That's the entire point of hand-skilled music. If it's not honed and developed, it's knowledge will be lost, to be replaced by noise from a box. The ramifications to the soul, and to the culture, are many. Professional musicians can be divided into two groups, those who are paid, and those who are not paid, or not paid much, that have other outside jobs on which they depend. The professional musicians that are paid decently to play, are in places like Hollywood or Nashville, in the recording industries for film and the pop-music industry. Chamber Orchestras for private hire, generally only get sporadic work. They have regular jobs elsewhere. The musicians you see in civic orchestras, in symphony orchestras, in the philharmonic, are highly skilled, and paid a stipend at most. They have regular jobs elsewhere. They play because they love it, not because they get paid. It is possible that the conductor gets paid or paid more, perhaps the pianist too, and the guest soloist. That's about it. It's not a monied performance unless it's for a pop-star or a movie, or for a cultural icon.

[@randyrohm]

I would be coming right back down that escalator to listen to this.

[@Springtime101]

Me too!!!!!!

[@Agusisonline]

...still makes me happy to watch this vid: more more

[@garricksto]

We do this in the hopes that you'll be interested and buy a ticket for a concert. Folks, if you don't support your symphony orchestras, they shrivel up and blow away.

[@EdwardLyonsFlynLyon]

PLEASE!!! Keep doing this !!

[@JudyHart1]

I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes, that was just wonderful.

[@garyguyton7373]

10:1 most, a very, very large majority, of those folks have never heard anything like this live ever before in their lives. And most never will again. I for myself would love to see more classical ensembles perform in this fashion. Nothing bad, and much good, could be the only result.

[@jellyfishtothemax]

Great performance as usual!

[@mrmike2121i]

This is one of the best orchestra flashmobs on youtube. As performances go, I think the rendition of vivaldis summer from the four seasons is superb. I love it, I can watch it over and over again. Please keep uploading. Going to trafford centre in uk today. Would make my day to see you guys there!

[@greyladydown1]

Great film quality, felt like I was there, so exciting. Someone mentioned the communication of the musicians in another orchestral flash posting, and it is true, there is no conductor to block the audiences view of the group exchange as they all work off each other. The informal, promenade quality of it all adds to the unexpected luxury, finding such a classy act serendipitously. Lovely stuff, ISO, hope you enjoyed it as much as those there and those here!

[@AffordBindEquipment]

wonderful acoustics there! great vid!

[@fasullodavvero]

Sono passati "solo" 13 anni,e sembra sia accaduto ieri,orgoglioso che un pezzo di italia continui a celebrare la grandezza di Vivaldi...

[@martinfranklin3868]

More of these need to happen!

[@SolarSteveW]

It's rare to see a flash mob with live audio rather than dubbed in from a more controlled performance. These musicians were great, and somebody did a wonderful job putting it together.

[@manises14]

My son is a classical violinist. He is majoring in music. He knows his future is bleak but he loves music. He says is in his heart. Let's support the arts.

[@dudeholla212]

I can so shop while listening to this! Not any of that loud pop crap that passes as music today.

[@elisabethhatil5392]

Que sont devenus les musiciennes et musiciens manifique musique 🎶 🎶 ❤❤❤❤❤😂❤❤😂❤😂

[@Jarl_Thidrandi]

wow, this is one of the coolest most inspiring things ive ever seen. its a beautiful thing to bring music to the world

[@allegriajoy]

The thing that I love most about this is that there is a compelling nature to live classical music that you can't get in most recordings; people who might never be captivated by a classical radio station can get a taste of the beauty and power of the music when they walk right through it. People who would never go to a concert hall, because they didn't know they'd like it.

[@reo4551]

There is still hope for the world. God bless u hoosiers. Thanks.

[@TheJackl317]

I still love watching this

[@sammyze76]

Absolutely beautiful. :-)

[@dmswan3172]

What a beautiful surprise,🎼🎻

[@aljim2889]

Summer from Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, one of my favorites! Beautiful!

[@memonk11]

I so totally agree. I grew up loving classical music. But the first time I actually saw an orchestra I was blown away.

[@Nikita4ever7000]

One word for this Orchestra... Flawless!!!

[@craigharperashton]

So beautiful. Our species is capable of such wonderful art, when you watch this you can scarcely believe we're so capable of such violence and hatred. What a wonderful video.

[@rainsrapidly]

I'm black and I loved it! Great job

[@csandovalbosox]

Vivadi - Summer....always gives me chills

[@Kazinggg]

same here, i got goosebumps and tears in my eyes just from watching the video! wish i could have been there myself :)

[@ChrisBrubeck]

Bravo Zach and my friends at the ISO! I loved your random act of music! Congrats!

[@Arie8282]

that is THE BEST video FOREVER !

[@markrogers4765]

wonderful thx 4 beauty in this insane world

[@poorbobbascaraquet2567]

Fantastic,could listen all day cheers!

[@georgecanham431]

Not a music stand in the entire group. Such precision and wonderful music choice!

[@francescoarellano7513]

Thank you so much. Very touching.

[@drumstring]

Love, love, love it! Makes me wanna go to Indy! Great playing all! Great playing Zach!

[@Taoen7]

Best use of mall acoustic properties ever.

[@rsorley100]

Great job! What an amazing coincidence that you all were shopping with your instruments readily available!

[@lordbyron3603]

Flash Mobs .... greatest invention since sliced bread! But I’m always shopping and I have yet to hear one.

[@suzycreamcheesez]

amazing absolutely love the Vivaldi!

[@calenlass]

I have to say, I do like the idea of learning the violin just so I can go to malls and wander around playing.

[@Kadrius23]

Bringing out the best of humanity.

[@Nikita4ever7000]

If all orchestras sounded this good I would listen more.

[@nunyabiznez6381]

The quality of this recording is excellent considering where it was recorded. But I am disappointed that it was truncated. It would have been nice to hear all of it.

[@kikkerl]

agree with you!

[@Gabri3lGalaz]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@elisabethhatil5392]

Manifique les violons manifique.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂

[@withered_wings1817]

omergersh Summer from the four seasons by Vivaldi! one of the hardest yet fun things I have played in high school orchestra.

[@TheZaneah]

this is it thee most amazin sound thnxs for shareing

[@connors2154]

I wonder what the acoustics are actually like at that mall. Because it sounds quite good on the recording

[@priyeeshofonie9615]

Yep

[@anthonybell2116]

WOW! AWESOME! Thank you for sharing this!

[@samsarelle]

Dios!!!!!!!! That's beauty made into sound!!!!!!

[@OfficialJamesParker]

This is bloody brilliant! Seriously! I adored this! SO MUCH.

[@youngmindedman]

They are very good. I love to watch these flash mobs perform!

[@ryleespencer212]

This was planned in advance? Huh. I guess you could say it was... Orchestrated.

[@makaylaschermerhorn863]

Rylee Spencer they are actually pretty good. I play violin and we have done a few flash mobs in fashion malls like these and they are surprisngly really good.

[@janicesilver370]

Rylee Spencer f

[@janicesilver370]

Rylee Spencer to

[@beatricescroggin3406]

@@janicesilver370 nu .

[@byheavenlyhosts1]

wonderful...such a blessing to all!!!

[@kevbecks]

woww..wat camera /smartphone r u using for this recording? the sound quality is amazing , btw..this is awesome!

[@Arie8282]

Hahaha :D I thought that also with the crystal clear recording! :D And in the echoing shopping mall - wow! :D My cell phone or camera could that never! ^^ And I wish I could also see all the songs in the whole of this performance. :)

[@pushkinkimok]

Goosebumps galore.......

[@MrsSanti321]

One word....AMAZING!!!

[@bradforddale4306]

Allagriajoy, on your comment of Feb. 8th. I'm in TOTAL agreement!!! All I have to add...these musicians are world class! This is also important in that people need to walk through this music while it is well executed...it's much more alive!

[@RageAgainstBerlusca]

2:12 couple kissing is wonderful, they really appreciate it.

[@Springtime101]

Simply divine ♥♥♥♥♥♥

[@reymagea1]

There is still good music! Wonder how many were inspired to hear more?

[@LookWithinForBliss]

Another great Flash Mob video. I have added it to my Playlist.

[@craigharperashton]

Beautiful

[@Z-Hessen]

it is great, my Tears are runing from my Face Whow!!

[@moxigeren50gabe23]

and people still think clasical music is out of style

[@diegoatlanterodriguez6750]

Gabo Mo Fashion comes from young people, some adults are the ones who listen well, I am 16 and I like to listen to them.

[@dt9913]

It will never go out of style. Who do you think today's rock stars learned from?

[@houseofzuma1033]

@@dt9913 indeed

[@misheemom]

Very cool! Just curious... Were the instruments miked at all or is it just the great acoustics of the mall, especially at the beginning?

[@gunnarthorsen]

Beautiful. Tchaikovsky's music often makes me teary eyed. Russia was at its pinnacle in terms of art, music, medicine, theater, literature and more when the revolution broke out, destroying the system that made it all possible, dragging Russia down for decades to come. So cool that average shoppers, many of whom probably don't like classical music, can still - on some level, "get it" and applaud.

[@garrettcook7502]

what Tchaikovsky piece is it? Absolutely beautiful

[@DreamsUnfolding]

Oh, so sweet! So amazing!

[@jimkkonopka335]

WOOOOOOW....... BEAUTIFUL......

[@mauriziopantaleo9089]

meritavano un pubblico molto più numeroso, bravi

[@MsRikihana]

beautiful

[@Dicedude]

Beautiful!

[@bradkennett5759]

Do You know how it feels to come home after serving in Hell for 13months trying to stay alive only to be told Not to ware your uniform when you get HOME... Well do ya...

[@Dicedude]

brad Kennett The music is beautiful.

[@happyviny]

ohh this is so beautiful. you guys are great:)

[@sixpakdrinkur]

Wonderful!

[@jumastri]

This is such a good idea. Why has nobody thought of this before?

[@markoblazney6360]

Inspiring ! Joshua Bell did this outside a Metro once or twice. What a treat, huh? So was this. This is like Peace breaking out all over. When given a chance to grow....... "I've seen flowers grow in stony places and kindness done by men with ugly faces and the worst horse win the Gold Cup at the races...." who wrote that?

[@XaeroQ3]

Amazing and I luv Summer - Presto

[@josebruce24]

Excellent

[@robchopper87]

Thanks!!!

[@Nikita4ever7000]

They should do this more in Shopping Malls because they have the best acoustics.

[@rebeccaleigh26]

Among the instrument groups, there is a generally accepted hierarchy. Every instrumental group has a principal who is generally responsible for leading the group and playing orchestral solos. The violins are divided into two groups, first violin and second violin, each with its principal. The principal first violin is called the concertmaster and is considered the leader of not only the string section, but of the entire orchestra, subordinate only to the conductor.