LANSING, Mich. — Every Tuesday night at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Lansing, harmony flows together in Charley Martin's favorite way.
“A cappella harmony," Martin said. "The voice is the best instrument that there is, better than all the other instruments because it can shape and tune to other voices.”
A fine tune filled one of the rooms coming from the 30 Capitol City Chordsmen.
“I think about 83 years now is where we're at,” said Director Brad Sharlow. "We've had that history of singing in the Lansing area for many years in terms of entertaining audiences all over the Greater Lansing area, as well as touring different parts of the southern part of the state."
Richard Harlow has been a member for over 40 years.
“It's been a great fun. In some respects, saved my life for just doing something like this and interacting with other men and that sort of thing,” Harlow said.
He's loved it so much he made it a family affair with Sharlow, who now leads the group.
“When I got married to his daughter, he encouraged me to come to rehearsal in November of 2006 and that got me hooked," Sharlow said.
But around this time of year, they're changing their tune to be all about love.
“I think it's a wonderful way to show people how much you care for them," Sharlow said. “You have the opportunity to, to hire a quartet to come, they will come and sing two songs for the person you want us to sing for.”
The group has done Singing Valentines as far back as any member can remember, creating unexpected memories for the community.
“Whether it's them blushing because they're just so touched by it, or in some cases, utterly mortified, but it's just, it all depends on the person," Sharlow said "Just making people smile really is what it's about.”
And memories for themselves.
"We will go into a nursing facility, for example, or where people have memory issues and so on, and we'll begin singing for that group," Harlow said. "When the people that are living there, start singing the songs, the people who are helping them, the nursing staff and that sort of thing, start crying. The reason they're crying is because they really hadn't spoken or said anything for quite some time."
So if roses aren't your thing, maybe a Singing Valentine is.
“Singing Valentines can be done for many different reasons," Sharlow said. "One is you're really in love with someone and want to show them how much. Sometimes there's people who are going through a hard tough time, and they just need a little pick me up.”
And they have a little something for everyone.
"Everybody has something special about them," Harlow said. “For us Singing Valentines helps us understand that the people that we sing for.”
The Capitol City Chordsmen have two groups that travel to every Singing Valentine request to get them all covered on Valentine's Day.
Each Singing Valentine is $50 and includes two songs, a personalized greeting card and a rose.
Anyone interested in purchasing a Singing Valentine can call (517) 449-6301 or (517) 599-9504.
If putting someone on the spot isn't what you're looking for, the Chordsmen will have a Blast from the Past show on Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m. at Okemos Middle School. They will be performing along with several other quartet groups from across the state.
A sneak peak can be found here.
The group also performs at various events throughout the year, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and more.
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