Madison Bowe / Winonan

Valentine’s Day, a day traditionally known for showering your significant other with flowers and sweets, just got a little sweeter. For the very first time, Winona State University’s chamber orchestra club is offering to serenade loved ones in an effort to make their Valentine’s Day celebration something to remember.

From the 7 to 13 of Feb., students and faculty can choose from four different love songs for the club to perform in front of their significant other or friend. The song list for the serenades contains classic love songs, like Elvis Presley’s “Fools  Rush In,” Turtles’ hit “Happy Together,” Nat King Cole’s “L.O.V.E.” and modern love song “1,2,3,4” by the Plain White T’s. Faculty members can also arrange to have the orchestra sing to their class.

“Oh, I would absolutely love it,” first-year Meghan Kimmerle said about being serenaded.

The chamber orchestra club has made a lot of big changes in the past year. For the past few years, they relied solely on the members of the club as well as student senate for funding. After a big change in their leadership, they decided to take matters in to their own hands and began fundraising to fulfill the group’s needs. Last semester, the group started their own bake sale, and it turned out to be a huge success.

Since this type of fundraiser has never been done before, they are not exactly sure what to expect. They are hoping to be able to promote the music program at Winona State while also sharing their love for music. The group is hoping to see lots of members from the Winona State community get involved and participate.

“In the past it has been difficult to host fundraising events with 30-plus members who have a variety of majors, plus finding a time where they all could participate. Last semester we had a bake sale where club members homemade and donated baked goods to be sold,” Emily Maire, chamber orchestra club president, said.

The group will use the money raised to take care of the costs of traveling to events to see different orchestras. These trips help to further develop the orchestra and allows them learn from the highly talented and professional groups. Watching other orchestras perform enriches the capacity for improving the skills of the individuals within the orchestra. The orchestra enjoys traveling to different performances in the Midwest area. One of their favorite performances to see is the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis.

“In the past we have traveled to Wisconsin to see the Milwaukee Orchestra, and would like to expand our options and see the renowned Chicago Symphony,” Maire said.

Students who are interested in the “Rent A Musician” fundraiser should check out Winona State’s “upcoming events” page, which contains information about signing up and choosing the song they want to be played. The cost for renting a musician is $5 and students should allow 24 hours for the orchestra to plan the performance.

“Whether it’s for their significant other or for a class before a test…I mean, who doesn’t like being serenaded by music?” Maire said.