BY CATHY JETT

Even amid the bustle of the holidays, Spotsylvania Towne Centre's food court seemed unusually crowded last night.

Many there were eagerly waiting for the opening notes of a 200-year-old Christmas classic to begin issuing softly from a speaker system.

As the sound grew louder, Elena Flores, a Colonial Forge High School senior who is applying to Juilliard, stood on a chair and began to sing in her clear, lovely soprano:

Haaaah-leh-lu-yuh, Haaaah-leh-lu-yuh

Then Kevin Perry, a tenor who has sung in the Fredericksburg Community Chorus' annual production of "Messiah" for years, joined in with:

Haaaah-leh-lu-yuh, Haaaah-leh-lu-yuh

Suddenly several hundred members of at least nine area choirs stood to sing the familiar chorus to George Frideric Handel's masterpiece. And concert violinists Robyn Bauer and Megan Bevill held their bows at the ready.

The Rev. Michael Patch of Fredericksburg Baptist Church climbed onto a small stage in front of Famous Teriyaki Sushi to conduct, and the music swelled as the next words soared throughout the food court:

Cameras and videocams, including those of The Free Lance-Star and Two Guys Productions of Fredericksburg, began recording the excitement. The few unsuspecting shoppers there stopped eating their nachos and nuggets to watch in surprise and awe.

"We had heard rumors," David Mersiovsky, who was there with his parents and girlfriend, said afterward. "We were told something 'cultural' would be at the mall at 7:15 and we needed to be there. The food court isn't the choice of places I'd expect to hear the 'Messiah,' but it sounded good."

What was designed to appear as a spontaneous, quick hit of holiday cheer was actually a carefully coordinated flash mob sparked by similar productions that have gone viral on YouTube.

"The one that inspired me took place Nov. 13 in a food court in New York," said Maria Janney, president of the Fredericksburg Community Chorus.