Men’s chorus prepping to deliver Singing Valentines
The Cranberry Men’s Chorus is about to be on the move.
Not only will a quartet of members form a traveling a cappella troupe that will traverse Butler County to deliver singing valentines Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14 and 15, its members sometimes have to pursue a recipient, who may turn the other way when they see the group of singers approaching.
Bruce Kollister, one of the founding members of the Cranberry Men’s Chorus, who is part of the Valentine’s Day quartet, said he once had to follow a woman whose husband had bought a singing valentine, because she ran away when she saw the quartet.
“It’s very unique because the reaction, especially with the ladies, that four guys went to the trouble to sing just for them, it’s emotionally overwhelming,” Kollister said. “Crying normally isn’t a good thing, but in this case it is, because you know you’re getting to them and it’s nice.”
The Cranberry Men’s Chorus rehearsed Monday, Jan. 27, where four of the members of the Valentine’s quartet practiced the songs available for singing valentines.
Ron Brooks, director of the Cranberry Men’s Chorus, said the program is a fundraiser for the group, and helps cover the costs accrued by the group’s annual fall concert. It is also fun for not only the people receiving the singing valentines, but for the quartet of singers who deliver them.
“It’s a way to have fun and sing, but also a way for people to get out and fundraise,” Brooks said. “They always like it and it creates a memory.”
People looking to book a singing valentine for the holiday can choose from a variety of songs, which a quartet will deliver in-person at a scheduled time and place. Some of the songs are in the Cranberry Men’s Chorus’ regular rotation, and others have to be learned and rehearsed in the quartet style before the group goes out to perform.
Brooks said the chorus is adding new songs to the menu every year.
“We’ve had quite a few repeat customers and so we’ve had to add songs to our repertoire so they have new things to pick from,” Brooks said. “Probably our most requested is ‘So Happy Together’ by the Turtles.”
Pete Kennaday, of Cranberry Township, has been part of the singing valentines team for about four years now. He described the delivery of singing valentines as “miniature concerts,” which are performed not only for the customer’s loved one, but for the people who are in the vicinity while they are being delivered. Each quartet arrives in matching red tuxedos before surrounding the recipient to sing.
While this can involve embarrassment for the person who received the singing valentine, Kennaday said the reception is usually all in good humor.
“You’re singing to a captive audience. Sometimes they are glad, sometimes they are embarrassed,” Kennaday said. “There was one gig a couple years ago we were singing at a nearby fitness center; people who bought valentines for the owner.”
Brooks said a recipient of a singing valentine may give an icy reception, but it usually is aimed at the person who got them the valentine, not the members of the quartet.
“We sing the song no matter where they are, which is fascinating because it could be at school, where they work,” Brooks said. “You sing to all kinds of different people, and sometimes they say, 'I am going to kill him’ or ‘kill her.'”
Kollister said one of his favorite places to deliver a singing valentine is at a restaurant where the couple is eating, because he likes seeing the reaction of other people sitting around.
“We go in and we’re singing to the couple usually, but if you’re in a restaurant, you’re singing to the whole restaurant, so you see the reaction of the tables around too,” Kollister said.
According to Kennaday, there could be multiple quartets made up of Cranberry Men’s Chorus members out on Feb. 14 and 15 at a time; all permutations of members of the group who agreed to be valentines on a certain day.
Each group gets some time to rehearse, before piling into a vehicle and driving around the area to the scheduled delivery points.
Brooks said the delivery sessions are great bonding time for the members of the chorus, who may not be completely acquainted with the other people in their caravan.
Kollister agreed, and said the situations the quartet members find themselves in could make for fun stories to bring back to the other chorus members.
“You get to know your fellow singers better because you’re traveling around the community, and it’s kind of a fellowship thing among the singers for one thing,” Kollister said.
This will be the third year Noah Steiner, of Saxonburg, will be part of a singing valentines quartet. He recalled a situation when he had to call the customer who ordered a valentine, only to be greeted on the phone by the person it was meant for.
“We were heading into Pittsburgh with a random quartet; we weren’t sure who was going to open the door,” Steiner said. “I called and the woman it was for answered the phone — I had to come up with something quick so they didn’t catch on.”
While singing valentines are most often ordered by a husband or boyfriend for their significant other, Kollister said this is not always the case, because sometimes they are ordered for a parent or child. He said that it is usually humorous when a quartet sings for a man, because their reactions are usually reserved.
“When you’re singing to one person, it’s always interesting to see their reaction. They might get embarrassed or they cry,” Kollister said. “So many times we get feedback afterward where the guy says they really enjoyed it even though you don’t see it on their face.”
A singing valentine, which are available to buy before Feb. 14, costs $50, and can be ordered on the chorus’ website, www.cranberrymenschorus.com, or by calling 724-816-1043.
