VIDEO: A Danish choir surprises customers in a JYSK store

A Danish gospel choir gave a surprise concert in one of the JYSK stores in Bucharest. The 37 singers of the choir admit that this was the most unusual place they sang.    

It’s Friday evening and, after a week spent at work, people relax while shopping. At JYSK Frigocom, one of the newest JYSK stores in Bucharest, some customers are looking for a new sofa, others are choosing decorations for their homes, asking the staff for advice or are buying products at the counter.  

Around 6 p.m., the store becomes quite crowded. More and more customers are entering the store. Groups of two or three women are passing by the shelves and are looking at decorations while carrying shopping baskets. A man sits at a desk and he seems to be testing it. 

One by one, the customers who recently entered the store start singing, first in very low voice, than louder and louder: “Oh, Oh, Give thanks to...”. They gather in a group next to the furniture area. In the back, the man who was sitting at the desk reveals a keyboard and starts playing.

FLASH MOb

In a matter of minutes, the store becomes a stage for the 37 singers who are part of the Danish choir Joyful Noise, a choir that only plays gospel music. Joyful Noise was in Romania on a tour, as guests of the Embassy of Denmark in Romania. 

“All of the choir members that sang inside the JYSK store had a great time. Everyone really wanted to show that gospel can be sung anywhere, anytime. As long as you sing with the spirit”, said Peter Bernhard, the choir’s conductor.

He admits that singing in a JYSK store was the most unusual concert experience they had until now, even though, while visiting Romania, they also played in the Peleș Castle in Sinaia, which used to be the summer residence of the Royal family.

The Danish Ambassador in Romania, Søren Jensen, who joined the flash mob in the audience, used to sing with the choir for two years prior to arriving in Romania.

“I had been doing music in a band with friends, but it slowed down and I felt I needed to maintain music in my life. I had heard the choir perform, and was very impressed by their sound and their energy. So I decided to join them! The Choir performs 5-6 concerts a year. They have a Summer and a Christmas concert in the local church wich always draws a full house. I was very happy to be part of Joyful Noise. My only regret is that I was with them for only two years, as I had to leave for my posting in Romania”, said the Ambasador.

THE ROMANIAN EXPERIENCE

Joyful Noise choir was in Romania on a five-day tour. During this time, they played in Sinaia, in a church, at the Danish Embassy in Bucharest and, of course, in the JYSK Bucharest Frigocom store.  

“As a gospel choir, we are always hopeful, that our concerts will be well received and understood. What surprised us all a lot was the public’s general positive reactions to our songs and words. It felt like the Romanians in the audience were ready to receive and willing to accept us as a choir in symbiosis with the rich and plentiful history of your own country. (...) Gospel music is well known in Denmark, but still somehow remains a mystery to some. It is not a general practise, but is by a lot seen as a spare time activity. Of course, you can also find it in a religious context in churches outside the official Danish church”, said Peter Bernhard.