UNT System
Sweeties will be serenaded with the sensual sounds of the ... tuba?
That's right. This February, University of North Texas tuba and euphonium students will once again offer Tuba Valentines — low-pitched love songs delivered to the door of a special someone.
The annual Tuba Valentine project helps raise money for the North Texas Chapter of the International Tuba Euphonium Association — but it also takes the low brass instruments "out of the back of the orchestra and into the limelight," said Zack Corpus, a UNT student working on a master's degree in tuba performance who has delivered Tuba Valentines in years past.
When the tuxedoed players walk into the room with their bulky instruments, the expressions on people's faces change from "Why are there tubas in front of me?" to "Wow, this is awesome," Corpus said.
"These are very lyrical love songs, and they are played on these instruments that are the size of a large child," he said.
"The complete and total oxymoron of those songs played on those instruments sparks a little bit of a raised eyebrow, but it's really quite cool. It's something different, and I think that's what people really crave."
In fact, some Tuba Valentine recipients have been so smitten, they've come to recitals of the tuba and euphonium students to hear more.
"People think that tubas are 'oom-pah-pah' all the time, but they play beautiful music — very harmonious," Corpus said.
Tuba Valentine recipients also get a chocolate rose and a personalized card.
When: Tuba Valentines are offered by appointment — even a few days past Feb. 14.
Where: Tuba Valentines are offered mainly on the UNT campus and in Denton, but the group does travel around the Dallas-Fort Worth area dependent upon availability.
Song list: Each performance is about 15 minutes long. The quartet offers a selection of romantic musical fare — "My Girl," "My Guy," "Hey Baby," "I Can't Help Myself," "Always and Forever" and "When I Fall in Love." Five selections are new this year: Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me," Billy Ocean's "Suddenly," "Kiss the Girl" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid," Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do," and the Penguins' "Earth Angel."
Cost: A Tuba Valentine costs $30 on the UNT campus and $40 off campus. A $5 discount is available if the purchaser is a UNT student.
Money raised from the Tuba Valentines will help the North Texas chapter invite guest artists and clinicians to campus and will help pay to send students to music competitions. As a result of previous Tuba Valentine fundraisers, the group is bringing well-known euphonium player Steven Mead to perform in a free concert at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 (Sunday) in Voertman Hall in the UNT Music Building.