MANCHESTER, CT (December 15, 2010) – Shoppers at a local mall on Sunday could hardly believe what they were hearing or seeing when a “flash mob” of more than 300 people suddenly broke into the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Steve Nielsen, Trinity Covenant Church’s director of worship and music, organized the surprise. He had sent a mass email to local choral groups, churches, and schools that invited anyone who could sing the song without music to lend their voices.

Just minutes before 3 p.m., they quickly gathered in the center court of the Buckland Hills Mall.

At the sound of a trumpet, Nielsen directed the combined choir as they belted out the classic from Handel’s Messiah. Rows of spectators ringed the second floor balcony. Click here to view a video that captured the moment or see below.

“There were a whole bunch of spectators, and they were hooping and hollering after we hit the last note,” says Jean Pedemonti, Trinity’s administrative assistant and one of the singers. “It was so much fun.”

One of the store managers said, “It was probably the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen. It was very loud, but in a good way. It was a beautiful sound.”

Nielsen made sure to clear the event with the mall management earlier in the month. Initially reluctant to grant permission, the management has invited Nielsen to organize a group for next year, Pedemonti says.