It started with a snare drum at 3 p.m. Saturday inside the Warsaw Walmart. Then a flutist joined in, followed by a cello player. Eventually, the whole MasterWorks Festival Orchestra had joined in for a “surprise” orchestra flash mob. Director Patrick Kavanaugh conducted the orchestra standing on a pedestal in the clothing aisle. Shoppers found their way to the front of the store by the book section to see what all the music was about. They pulled out their cameras and took pictures or video for Facebook and YouTube. When the orchestra finished its six-minute performance of Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” customers and store employees applauded the performance. Kavanaugh said Saturday’s event was the first-ever orchestra flash mob in a Walmart. He had seen other orchestra flash mobs, mainly in Europe, and usually in airports and train stations, but this was the first one in a Walmart. Flash mobs usually take place where there’s a guaranteed crowd. In the Midwest, Walmart is the best place to find a guaranteed crowd on a Saturday afternoon, he said. “I feel great about it,” Kavanaugh said after the event. “It’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever done at MasterWorks. One of the most fun things I’ve ever done in my life. It was a lot of fun and the first one I’ve ever done. Maybe we’ll make it an annual event.” He said Walmart was very nice and helpful about the whole event. To have the orchestra flash mob at the store, he said they had to get permission from the top in Arkansas. “They were just as nice as nice could be,” he said. Before the performance, Ben Osterhouse, cello player from St. Paul, Minn., said, “I think it’s really fun and kind of crazy. I just hope it goes well and I’m going to have fun no matter what.” He said he’d never been in a flash mob of any kind before. The orchestra just found out they were going to do it about a week ago. After the performance, viola player Josh Warren, Reno, Nev., said, “It was fun. When I got here I had never heard of a flash mob before. I’ve never done this before. I think it’s kind of funny.” He said he wasn’t nervous, however, because he’s played “Bolero” before. “It was great,” Warren stated. Another viola player, Isaac Sarver, Grand Rapids, Mich., said, “I think it went really well. I’ve never done anything like that before. I have never heard of a flash mob before. I thought it was amazing.” Kavanaugh said he hoped the video they were doing, and videos from the shoppers, would go viral on the Internet. “We made it look spontaneous and fun. But, of course, it’s completely choreographed and we rehearsed a lot and they worked hard on it,” he continued. He concluded by saying, “I think the kids loved doing it. This is the same orchestra that played last night’s concert.” For more information about the MasterWorks Festival and its schedule, visit its website at www.masterworksfestival.org
