Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins performed a rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” to first-class passengers on a British Airways flight to Russia.
Jenkins was joined by dancers from Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet for the performance, the first of its kind. She enjoyed the experience and said she was looking forward to her appearances in Russia. “I have always been excited to sing in Russia due to its deep and rich history in the arts and performing alongside dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet was a very special experience for me,” she said.
Jenkins broke a record on the classical music charts in the UK in April 2016, becoming the first artist ever to have 12 number one studio albums. She managed this achievement in 12 years.
Dancer Olga Marchenkova added that being involved in a performance at 40,000 feet added to the list of incredible places where Bolshoi dancers have performed over the past 240 years.
The performance took place on the inaugural flight of one of the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
In the year 2015, members of an orchestra on a Qantas flight from Australia gave an impromptu concert to passengers. Nine musicians from the Australian World Orchestra performed Ravel’s Bolero and received a warm round of applause.