Feb. 14 serenades are fund-raiser for harmony chorus
In this file photo, members of the Wyoming Valley Barbershop Harmony Chorus are singing to entertain guests during a tea at a local church. If you arrange for a singing valentine, four members of the group will serenade your recipient as a quartet and present him or her with candy and flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Picture this: your sweetheart, your best friend, your relative, or anyone you care about hears a knock on the door on Feb. 14. Maybe they’ve even forgotten it’s Valentine’s Day.
But soon they’re being serenaded by four musical visitors — a quartet from the Wyoming Valley Barbershop Harmony Chorus. Perhaps they will hear the classic“Let Me Call You Sweetheart” or “Heart of My Heart” or Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time” in four-part harmony.
It’s rewarding to see the joy the music brings to the recipients, said Marian Holehan, who joined the chorus several years ago and sings tenor.
“Oh my goodness, some of them have actually cried,” Holehan said. “Sometimes they put their hands to their faces in a little bit of embarrassment, but they keep on smiling, all through our singing.”
For $75 you can arrange to have a quartet visit your valentine and sing three songs. The singers also will present your valentine with a box of chocolates, a fresh red rose and a card. They are happy to visit not only homes but work places. (Just think of how much fun it will be as co-workers crowd around and take pictures).
The quartets have standby songs appropriate for Valentine’s Day, such as “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “Heart of My Heart,” Holehan said. If you have a song that is especially meaningful to your valentine, they will try to sing that as well, Holehan said, if they have the notes to sing it in harmony.
“I believe we came up with an Elvis song” for a fan of Elvis Presley, she recalled.
To order a singing valentine from the Barbershop Harmony Chorus, call 570-285-4810.
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