Imagine you’re shopping at Trinity Leeds, going about your day, when suddenly an orchestra starts playing a beautiful piece of classical music. This unexpected performance happened in 2016 when the Opera North Orchestra surprised shoppers with Ravel’s ‘Boléro’.
The musicians slowly emerged from different parts of the shopping centre, starting with a snare drum and gradually adding a flute, harp, cello, and violin. Shoppers soon realized they were witnessing a full-scale performance by a professional orchestra.
As more musicians joined in, some even playing on escalators, the crowd was captivated. The creative way the orchestra came together impressed many viewers online, who commented on how joyful it must have been to experience in person.
These surprise performances are common at Trinity, with Opera North frequently delighting shoppers. Another popular video features opera singer Rafael Rojas stunning the crowd with ‘Nessun Dorma.’ Opera North’s flash mobs have become famous in Leeds, and many viewers express a desire to move to the city just to see these live performances. If you can’t make it to Leeds, you can still enjoy these moments on Opera North’s YouTube channel.