'Singing Valentine' effort makes impression on recipients

For those in search of a unique Valentine’s Day gift, consider a Singing Valentine. Not one of those musical cards, a Singing Valentine is the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus’ annual fundraising effort which makes a notable impression on recipients. A special someone receives a red rose and personalized Valentine card, serenaded with two songs sung by a tuxedoed quartet and a photograph with the group.

Singing Valentines co-chairs Tom Smith and Jeff Koch, along with other barbershop members, have been coordinating order requests by phone, online (Barbershopsinging.net), and email to send three quartets (perhaps more) out for Valentine’s Day. Location, times requested, and last-minute additions keep scheduling a challenge. The group works to accommodate requests and timeframes with associated costs.

Koch stated the quartets cover a general area from Jacksonville to Taylorville and Lincoln to Girard. “Our primary focus is in the Springfield and surrounding areas. Singing Valentine requests include coming to a recipient’s home, and we especially love the opportunity to sing for someone at their place of work, such as an office, school, doctor’s office, hospital, or serenading the lucky recipient at a restaurant.”

Most people enjoy being sung to, Koch continued. “As a quartet makes the rounds during the day, you get a neat feeling seeing the surprised reactions, lots of smiles, and sometimes some tears. Singing for a schoolteacher or aide at a school is fun because the kids in the classroom are there to see the performance, and a couple love songs by a quartet to their teacher or aide puts that person in a whole different light for the students.”

Carl Follin, former Singing Valentine chair for many years and 27-year veteran of the group, added “We will have a Valentine who is the center of attention for the whole office or restaurant, and she will often be terribly embarrassed. But in the end, with the help of the audience, she is aware that someone really cared enough to send a truly unique valentine.”

Smith finds barbershop singing “uplifting and fulfilling”and certainly worth seeing reactions. “I sang one year with a lead (melody part) to his girlfriend. Both were university students. Normally, we sing ‘Let Me Call You Sweetheart’ and ‘Heart of My Heart’ but can sometimes deviate. Don had arranged with the professor to interrupt the class and had a friend videotape the presentation. He chose ‘Sweet and Lovely’ for the second song, which I thought was an odd choice, but the quartet knew the song, so why not?

“As we started the second song,” Smith continued, “I thought of a phrase in the song which is ‘soon we’ll marry’ and wondered if Don had remembered that phrase was in the lyrics. When we finished he dropped to one knee and proposed. There were no dry eyes in the classroom, including the quartet. With tears in her eyes, she said ‘yes’.”

Koch noted that Singing Valentine delivery may face some curious turns. He recalled that he and his quartet arrived at a recipient’s office only to find out she had gone home sick. The Singing Valentine buyer was there and disappointed, so the group offered to go to the home. The woman answered the door, let them, and they proceeded with presentation and song. “As we were completing the first one, the doorbell rang several times. Our recipient opened the door, and standing there was her neighbor who lived on the other side of the cul-de-sac … She said, ‘I saw this black van pull up in front of your house, and five guys in dark suits jumped out and went to your front door and walked on in. I was just a little worried about what was going on!’ What a good and brave neighbor! Once the quartet finished singing to our recipient, we turned around and sang a couple Valentine’s songs to the brave neighbor.”

Singing Valentines sweeten life for the Land of Lincoln Barbershop and the community too as funds help defray costs of some free community concert events, free singing lessons during the summer, and assisting with a Youth in Harmony one-day workshop for area high school students. A Singing Valentine surely adds some harmony to the world.

To order Singing Valentine for February 14

Visit barbershopsinging.net or call 618-806-8488(daytime) or 217-801-5826 (evening).

Cost: $35 for anytime during the delivery period; $50 within a 4-hour window; $80 for a “spot on” within 20 minutes either way. Add $5 for each additional recipient (up to four) for rose and card at same location.