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The Band presents another Holiday Flash Mob!

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Bob Kamholz
Washington, D.C. --  Disguised as a special holiday kick-off event, The U.S. Air Force Band surprised the visitors of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with another innovative flash mob.

To view the video, click here.

Unsuspecting museum visitors were quickly surrounded by instrumentalists and vocalists as they filled the Boeing Aviation Hangar with holiday music.  Fittingly, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, one of the museum's most popular attractions, served as the backdrop for this performance.

Led by The U.S. Air Force Band's commander and conductor, Col. Larry H. Lang, the flash mob was a follow up to the group's surprise performance last year at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. After the success of last year's viral flash mob video, The U.S. Air Force Band decided to expand on that concept and once again partner with the Smithsonian.

This year's performance brought together more than 100 Airmen musicians from the Band's six performing ensembles offering moving renditions of "Greensleeves" and "Carol of the Bells."  The original arrangements, by retired Senior Master Sgt. Bob Thurston, were commissioned by the Band specifically for this powerful performance. Like last year, dozens of Band members, with assistance from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, worked behind the scenes to pull off this large-scale endeavor.

When asked about the success of last year's viral video, Chief Master Sgt. Jennifer Pagnard, the Band's chief of Marketing and Outreach, said, "Airmen musicians performing holiday classics at an iconic museum in the nation's capital was a winning combination." She added, "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."

An important part of the Band's mission is to have a positive impact on the global community on behalf of the U.S. Air Force and the United States of America. With each viral video, the Band garners worldwide attention from the media and on the Internet reaching millions across the globe.