SYRACUSE -- Holiday shoppers at Carousel Center Mall got quite a surprise Wednesday evening in the food court. A flash mob of singers suddenly started belting out Handel's Messiah. The song, composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, is one of the most popular works in the Western choral literature. The sudden performance at Carousel Mall was conducted by Syracuse Symphony conductor Daniel Hege.

Flash mobs are a huge hit on the internet and have been performed all over the world. They are generally orchestrated and rehearsed in secret, then suddenly sprung on an unsuspecting "audience." While they generally involve dancing, they are beginning to include singing as well.

In Welland, Canada last month, shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch.

More than 80 Chorus Niagara singers broke out in song at the food court at the Seaway Mall.

The video has been watched more than 14 million times on YouTube.